NRC TO HOLD TWO PUBLIC MEETINGS ON MAY 25TH IN WATERFORD, CONN.,

TO DISCUSS ANNUAL ASSESSMENT OF MILLSTONE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

 The results of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual safety performance 

assessment for the Millstone nuclear power plant will be the subject of two public meetings on 

Wednesday, May 25, in Waterford, Conn.

At 2 p.m., the NRC staff will meet with the public at Waterford Town Hall, at 15 Rope 

Ferry Road in Waterford, to discuss the agency’s assessment. Then, at 6:30 p.m., agency staff 

will discuss the assessment with Connecticut’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Council (NEAC) 

during a public meeting at the same location.

Prior to the conclusion of both sessions, there will be an opportunity for members of the 

public to ask questions of the NRC staff regarding the plant’s performance, as well as the 

agency’s oversight of the facility.

Millstone, which is the site of two operating pressurized-water reactors, is located in

Waterford. It is operated by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut, Inc.

“Our Annual Assessment reviews allow us to step back and gauge whether the nuclear 

power plants we regulate are on the right track in terms of performance and adhering to the 

highest levels of safety,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “Once we’ve completed 

these evaluations, we reach out to the public to share that information and to receive their 

feedback at a location near each plant. We welcome and value these exchanges.”

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

indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start with “green”, representing very low 

safety significance, and increase to “white”, “yellow” or “red”, commensurate with the 

significance of the issues involved.

Overall, the Millstone Unit 2 and 3 reactors operated safely during 2010. At the 

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

inspection findings that were “Greater than Green” (rising to the level requiring additional NRC 

oversight) or any performance indicators that were other than “Green” (exceeding the threshold 

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-11-015

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

May 16, 2011

Email: OPA1.RESOURCE@nrc.gov
for the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight) for the units. Therefore, for the 

remainder of 2011, Millstone will continue to receive the very detailed inspection regime used 

by the NRC for plants that are operating well.

Recently, an NRC Special Inspection was conducted to review an operational occurrence 

at Millstone on Feb. 12, 2011. Specifically, a three-member team was sent to the plant to 

evaluate operator actions and events surrounding an unplanned increase in reactor power, from 

88 percent to 96 percent, during main turbine control valve testing. The results of that inspection 

are currently being evaluated to determine the significance of any conclusions.

Routine inspections are carried out at Millstone 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. In 2010, the NRC devoted about 8,260 hours to inspection of Millstone, including 

three major team inspections. Among the areas at Millstone being inspected this year are 

radiological safety, emergency preparedness and radioactive effluents treatment.

The agency issues its review of performance at specific plants twice a 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 performance reviews every March, the public is 

provided with an opportunity to discuss the results. The meetings, which are held in the vicinity 

of the plant, are in keeping with the NRC’s commitment to transparency and openness with 

regard to its activities.

The annual assessment letter for Millstone is available on the NRC website at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/mill_2010q4.pdf. The notice for 

the public meeting is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and

Management System (ADAMS) under accession number ML111250122. ADAMS is available

at: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams.html. 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.Resources@NRC.GOV.

Current performance information for Millstone Unit 2 is available on the NRC website at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MILL2/mill2_chart.html. Current performance 

information for Millstone Unit 3 is available on the NRC website at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MILL3/mill3_chart.html.

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