No. III-08-028 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 July 14, 2008 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT 

FOR POINT BEACH NUCLEAR PLANT 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FPL Energy 

Point Beach, LLC Wednesday, July 16, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for 

last year at the Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located in Two Rivers, Wisc. 

 The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. CDT at the 

Two Creeks Town Hall, 5128 East Tapawingo Road, in Two Creeks. The NRC staff will present the 

results of the assessment, talk about the NRC and its range of activities, and be available to respond 

to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting. 

 “The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Point Beach plant and the nation’s 

other commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region III Administrator James Caldwell said. 

“This meeting allows us to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with the company 

and with local officials and area residents. Our goal is to explain how the NRC works and make sure 

as much information as possible is available on our regulation of these facilities.” 

 A letter sent from the NRC Region III Office to plant officials addresses the performance of 

the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on 

the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/poin_2007q4.pdf

 The NRC’s assessment concluded that the Point Beach Plant Unit 1 and 2 operated safely 

during the period. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to 

assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with “green” and then increase to “white,” 

“yellow” or “red,” commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. 

Last year the NRC's resident inspectors spent roughly 2,000 hours examining plant 

operations and determined that the plant met the NRC's demanding standards. All the rating areas 

for Point Beach were “green.” Because of the plant's performance in 2007, the plant will again 

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receive 2,000 hours of inspection and oversight. However, should NRC inspectors spot a 

degradation in plant performance, the facility would be subject to additional inspection and 

oversight in the future. 

The NRC letter to the utility addressed two substantive cross-cutting issues in the areas of 

human performance and problem identification and resolution at the Point Beach plant. Crosscutting issues are those that affect several areas of plant performance. 

 The first cross-cutting issue is in the area of human performance. These problems were 

associated with not having complete, accurate, and up-to-date design documentation and 

procedures. The NRC is concerned with the progress and efforts given to address these issues and 

has requested the utility to discuss them during the meeting. 

 The second cross-cutting issue is in the area of problem identification and resolution. The 

NRC letter noted a declining trend with the company’s ability to identify and resolve problems. The 

plant’s own assessments of the corrective action program identified continued improvement was 

needed in this area. NRC inspectors will continue to monitor the issue until confidence is developed 

that the utility has effectively addressed this area. 

 Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant 

and by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill., and the agency’s headquarters 

in Rockville, Md. In addition to routine inspections, the NRC will continue to assess the crosscutting issues at the plant. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC 

specialists are emergency preparedness, radiation protection, and reactor system operations. 

 Current performance information for Point Beach is available on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/POIN1/poin1_chart.html (Unit 1) and 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/POIN2/poin2_chart.html (Unit 2). 

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