NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Region III

2443 Warrenville Road

Lisle IL 60532

Site: www.nrc.gov

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

No. III-13-009

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

April 1, 2013

E-Mail: OPA3.Resource@nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 10 TO DISCUSS

PERFORMANCE OF PERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting with 

representatives of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. on April 10 to discuss the agency’s 

assessment of safety performance for last year at the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is 

located in Perry, Ohio, approximately 35 miles northeast of Cleveland.

The meeting is scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m. EDT at the Quail Hollow Resort, 11080 

Concord-Hambden Rd., in Painesville. The NRC staff will present its result of the plant’s 2012 

annual assessment, talk about agency activities, and be available to respond to questions or 

comments from the public.

“When the NRC evaluates Perry’s performance for the previous year, we take a look at 

any and all issues that might be of concern,” said Region III Administrator Charles Casto. “Then

we map out our inspection plans for that specific facility, issue inspection reports and hold these 

public meetings near the plant. We do this in order to discuss our oversight and answer questions 

from local residents on how we ensure safety is the foremost objective for plant operators.”

The annual assessment letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials 

addresses the performance of the plant during 2012 and will serve as the basis for the discussion.

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. Performance indicators are 

statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance. The NRC’s action matrix reflects 

overall plant performance and agency response. There are five columns in the matrix with 

Column 1 requiring a baseline level of inspections. A move to the other columns results in an 

increased level of NRC oversight and inspections.

Overall, the NRC found that the Perry facility operated safely in 2012. The NRC’s 

assessment of Perry’s performance included a security finding, a white inspection finding 

associated with the removal of a source range monitor from the reactor core, and a white 
performance indicator involving worker exposure controls. The plant is in the degraded 

cornerstone column in the action matrix and is receiving increased NRC oversight. The letter 

noted that the NRC chose to deviate from its normal process and not move the plant to a lower 

cornerstone column because the performance issues appear to be understood and not widespread. 

This assessment may change if the plant’s actions and understanding of issues are not adequate. 

Perry will continue to receive increased oversight inspection efforts used by the NRC for 

plants in the degraded column. The NRC will also conduct a supplemental inspection to follow 

up on corrective actions, the sustainability of those actions, and verify that plant staff understand 

the cause of issues in order to prevent reoccurrence.

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. 

The most current performance information for Perry is available on the NRC website.

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