NRC TO DISCUSS MILLSTONE NUCLEAR PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

DURING APRIL 9 MEETING WITH NUCLEAR ENERGY ADVISORY COUNCIL

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with the Connecticut Nuclear Energy 

Advisory Council (NEAC) on Tuesday, April 9, to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety 

performance at the Millstone nuclear power plant.

The meeting is scheduled for 7-8 p.m. at Waterford Town Hall, at 15 Rope Ferry Road in 

Waterford, Conn. Prior to the meeting’s adjournment, attendees will have an opportunity to ask 

questions of NRC staff regarding the 2012 assessment.

Overall, the Millstone plant – two operating pressurized-water reactors located in 

Waterford and owned by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc. — operated safely during 2012. At 

the conclusion of last year, as assessed by the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, there were no 

performance indicators for the facility that were other than green (very low risk) and no 

inspection findings that were greater than green (that is, none of the findings exceeded very low 

safety significance). As a result, Millstone will continue to receive the NRC’s normal level of 

oversight during 2013, barring any changes.

Plants that meet the criteria set out by the NRC receive the normal level of oversight, 

which consists of a detailed regime involving thousands of hours of inspection. In 2012, the 

agency devoted approximately 7,300 hours of inspection to the Millstone plant.

The NRC issued a white (low to moderate safety significance) inspection finding to 

Millstone Unit 2 in August 2011 over the failure of plant personnel to carry out their assigned 

roles and responsibilities and for inadequate reactor power-level management during main 

turbine control valve testing on Feb. 12, 2011. This contributed to an unanticipated reactor power 

increase. However, that finding was closed in the fourth quarter of 2012 after an NRC team 

inspection performed at the plant determined that Dominion had satisfactorily evaluated the root 

causes of the event and put in place appropriate corrective actions.

“When the time comes to evaluate a plant’s performance for the previous year, we take a 

fresh look at any and all issues that might be of concern. We then adjust our plans for assessing 

the facility accordingly,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “As we map out our 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I 

2100 Renaissance Blvd., King of Prussia, Pa. 19406-2713

E-mail: opa1@nrc.gov 

Site: www.nrc.gov

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

No. I-13-012

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

April 1, 2013

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
inspection plans for the remainder of 2013, we remain focused on ensuring that safety is the 

foremost objective for all plant operators.”

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

indicators to assess plant performance. The colors begin with green and then increase to white, 

yellow or red, commensurate with the significance of the issues involved. The agency issues 

reports on performance at each plant 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, www.nrc.gov, 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 sessions are in keeping with the agency’s commitment to transparency with respect 

to its activities.

Routine inspections are carried out by the three 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 to be inspected this year at Millstone by NRC specialists are 

activities associated with radiological safety, the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, fire 

protection and emergency preparedness.

The annual assessment letter for the Millstone plant and the public notice for the April 9 

meeting are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for Millstone Unit 2

and Unit 3 is also available on the NRC website.

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