NRC TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 30th IN BRATTLEBORO, TO DISCUSS

VERMONT YANKEE NUCLEAR PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct a public open house, followed by a 

question-and-answer session, on April 30 to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety 

performance at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

The open house is scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the multipurpose room at 

Brattleboro Union High School, at 131 Fairground Road in Brattleboro, Vt. 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. Then, beginning at 7 p.m. at 

the same location, the NRC staff will hold a group question-and-answer session regarding plant 

performance and oversight topics. There will be a security bag search for all attending.

Overall, Vermont Yankee, which is a single boiling-water reactor located in Vernon, Vt., 

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, Vermont Yankee 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 5,780 hours of inspection to the Vermont Yankee 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.”

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-13-017

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

April 18, 2013

Email: opa1.resource@nrc.gov
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, commensurate with the risk significance of the issues involved. The agency 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 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, current performance information, and the open house notice

for Vermont Yankee 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 Vermont Yankee this year by NRC 

specialists are activities associated with the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel, underground 

piping and tanks, emergency planning, fire protection and radiological safety.

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