No: I-14-012 March 26, 2014

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

 

NRC to Discuss Millstone Nuclear Plant Annual Assessment

During March 31st Meeting With Nuclear Energy Advisory Council

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will meet with the Connecticut Nuclear Energy Advisory 

Council (NEAC) on Monday, March 31, 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 2013 assessment.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, color-coded inspection findings and performance 

indicators are used to assess plant performance. (Performance indicators are statistical measurements of 

plant and equipment performance which, if exceeded, trigger additional NRC oversight.) The colors 

range from green, indicating very low safety or security significance, to white, yellow or red, for an 

issue of high significance.

Overall, the Millstone plant, which has two operating pressurized reactors and is located in 

Waterford, operated safely during 2013. At the conclusion of last year, there were no performance 

indicators that were other than green for the plant, which is owned by Dominion Nuclear Connecticut 

Inc. There were also no inspection findings for Millstone that were greater than green. As a result, 

Millstone will continue to receive the NRC’s normal level of oversight during the remainder of 2014, 

barring any changes.

The NRC conducted a Special Inspection at Millstone Unit 3 in February of this year to further 

review repetitive problems involving a pump that is part of a reactor safety system. However, the 

results of that review focused on a turbine-driven auxiliary pump have not yet been issued.

The normal level of oversight consists of a detailed regime entailing thousands of hours of 

inspection. In 2013, the NRC devoted approximately 8,160 hours of inspection at Millstone.

“We take very seriously the task of stepping back on a regular basis to size up plant 

performance. These comprehensive evaluations help guide our reviews for the year ahead, though we 

maintain flexibility to adjust what we plan to inspect should conditions change,” NRC Region I 
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Administrator Bill Dean said. “Millstone, by virtue of its performance in 2013, will receive our routine 

– though still substantial – battery of inspections.”

The NRC 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 a quarterly basis on the agency’s website. Following the release of the Annual 

Assessment letters each March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to discuss 

the results.

Normal inspections are carried out by the three Resident Inspectors assigned to Millstone. 

Reviews are also performed at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency’s Region I 

Office in King of Prussia, Pa. Among the areas to be inspected this year at Millstone are the plant’s 

radiological safety program, emergency planning, the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel and the 

implementation of an industry initiative to monitor the condition of underground piping.

The Annual Assessment letter for Millstone, as well as the meeting notice for the March 31st 

meeting, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available for

Millstone Unit 2 and Millstone Unit 3.