No. I-13-022 May 7, 2013

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC to Hold Open House, Meeting on May 14 in Tarrytown, N.Y.

to Discuss Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant Annual Assessment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a public open house and meeting, May 14 in 

Tarrytown, N.Y., to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Indian Point 

nuclear power plant.

The open house is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, at 455 South 

Broadway in Tarrytown. It will provide an opportunity for attendees to hold one-on-one discussions 

with NRC staff members about the plant’s 2012 performance and the agency’s oversight of the facility. 

Beginning at 7 p.m., the NRC staff will conduct a public meeting at the same location. It will consist of 

a formal question-and-answer session regarding plant performance and oversight topics.

Indian Point, which is the site of two operating pressurized-water reactors in Buchanan 

(Westchester County), N.Y., operated safely during 2012. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, the 

plant did not have any 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 for the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight). As a result, Indian Point will 

continue to receive the NRC’s normal level of oversight during 2013.

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

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

approximately 11,400 hours of inspection to the Indian Point plant, which is owned by Entergy Nuclear 

Operations Inc.

“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 inspection plans for the 

remainder of 2013, we remain focused on ensuring that safety is the foremost objective for all plant 

operators.”

The NRC uses 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, 

according to the risk significance of the issues involved. The agency issues reports on performance at 
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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 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.

The annual assessment letter for Indian Point and the public notice for the May 14 meeting are 

available on the NRC website.

Routine inspections are carried out by the NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to each 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 at Indian Point this year by NRC specialists are activities associated with 

radiological safety; emergency planning; problem identification and resolution; the dry cask storage of 

spent nuclear fuel; and underground piping and tanks.

Current performance information for Indian Point 2 is available on the NRC website, as is 

current performance information for Indian Point 3.