NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON APRIL 4th IN ONTARIO, N.Y.,

TO DISCUSS GINNA NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on Thursday, April 4,

to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the R.E. Ginna nuclear power 

plant.

During the open house, which is scheduled for 5 to 7 p.m. at Ontario Town Hall, at 1850 

Ridge Road in Ontario, N.Y., attendees will have an opportunity to hold one-on-one discussions 

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

facility. NRC staff on hand will include the inspectors assigned to the plant on a full-time basis 

and their supervisor.

Overall, the Ginna plant -- a pressurized-water reactor located in Ontario, N.Y., and 

operated by Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, LLC -- 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, Ginna will continue to receive the NRC’s normal level of 

oversight during 2013, barring any changes.

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

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

agency devoted approximately 6,000 hours of inspection to the Ginna plant.

“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 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 risk significance of the issues involved. The agency issues 

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-13-009

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

March 26, 2013

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
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 web site, 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.

The Annual Assessment Letter for the Ginna plant is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/ginn_2012q4.pdf . The notice for 

the open house is available in the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management 

System (ADAMS) under accession number ML13078A054. ADAMS is available at: 

http://adams.nrc.gov/wba/ . 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.Resource@NRC.GOV .

Routine inspections are carried out by the two 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 by NRC specialists are activities 

associated with radiological safety, emergency preparedness, component design basis, problem 

identification and resolution, and underground pipes and tanks.

Current performance information for Ginna is available on the NRC web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/GINN/ginn_chart.html .

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