NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON MARCH 28 IN STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF OYSTER CREEK NUCLEAR PLANT

 Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Wednesday, March 

28, regarding the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance for the Oyster Creek nuclear 

power plant.

 The open house will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, 151 Route 72 West in 

Stafford Township, N.J. Members of the public will have an opportunity to learn first-hand from 

NRC staff members about the plant’s safety performance during 2011 and the NRC’s oversight 

of the facility. The meeting format will allow citizens to discuss plant-related topics on a one-onone basis with NRC inspectors assigned to the plant and their NRC Region I supervisor.

Oyster Creek is located in Lacey Township (Ocean County), N.J. It is the site of a single 

boiling-water reactor, which is owned and operated by Exelon Generation Co., LLC.

Overall, Oyster Creek operated safely during 2011. At the conclusion of last year, as 

assessed by the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no performance indicators for the 

plant that were other than “Green” (very low safety significance) and no inspection findings that 

were “Greater than Green.” Therefore, for the rest of 2012 Oyster Creek will receive the very 

detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants that are operating well. In 2011, the NRC 

devoted approximately 5,200 hours of inspection to the Oyster Creek facility.

“Throughout 2011, our inspectors kept close watch on a daily basis to ensure there were 

no safety issues of significance. The Oyster Creek plant was among those to meet our clearly 

defined performance criteria last year,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “In 

addition, our inspectors spent time in 2011 checking on whether there were any immediate safety 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. I-12-010

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

March 20, 2012

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
concerns at U.S. nuclear power plants following the March events at the Fukushima Daiichi 

facility in Japan. Those reviews indicated the plants remained safe for continued operation.”

The NRC utilizes a combination of color-coded inspection findings and performance

indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with “Green” and then increase to

“White,” “Yellow” or “Red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

The agency issues reports on performance at specific plants twice a year: during the mid-cycle,

or mid-point, of the year, and at the conclusion of the year. Inspection findings and performance

indicators are also updated on the NRC’s website each quarter. Following the release of the 

annual reports every March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to 

discuss the results. The meetings are in keeping with the agency’s commitment to transparency 

with regard to its activities.

The annual assessment for the Oyster Creek plant is available on the NRC website. The 

notice for the open house is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and 

Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML12072A260. Help in using 

ADAMS can be obtained via the NRC’s Public Document Room at 1-800-397-4209 or 

301-415-4737, or by e-mail at PDR.Resource@nrc.gov.

Routine inspections are carried out by the two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the

plant and by inspection specialists from the agency’s Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

Among the areas of performance at Oyster Creek to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are 

activities associated with permanent plant modifications, radiological waste processing and 

handling, emergency preparedness and the plant’s implementation of a voluntary industry 

initiative to address potential degradation of underground piping.

Current performance information for Oyster Creek 1 is available on the NRC website.

###

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES 

link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are 

posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.