No. I-13-020 May 3, 2013

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 E-mail: opa1.resource@nrc.gov

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331

NRC to Hold Open House, Question-and-Answer Session

On May 15th in Stafford Township, N.J., to Discuss

Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant Annual Assessment

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

question-and-answer session, on May 15 to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety 

performance at the Oyster Creek nuclear power plant.

The open house is scheduled for 6 to7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 151 Route 72 West in 

the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township, N.J. 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 formal question-and-answer session regarding plant performance and oversight 

topics.

Overall, Oyster Creek, which is a single boiling-water reactor located in Lacey Township 

(Ocean County), N.J., 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, 

Oyster Creek 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 6,500 hours of inspection to the Oyster Creek plant, which is owned by 

Exelon Generation Co. LLC. This included inspections focused on the plant’s performance 

during Hurricane Sandy, which thoroughly assessed the reasons for an “Alert” declaration during 

the storm. 

“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, 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 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 Oyster Creek is available on the NRC website at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/oc_2012q4.pdf . The notice for the 

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

(ADAMS) under accession number ML13057A284. 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 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 Oyster Creek this year by NRC specialists are 

activities associated with radiological safety, emergency planning, control room operator 

requalification testing and underground piping and tanks.

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/OC/oc_chart.html .

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