NRC TO HOLD OPEN HOUSE ON APRIL 18th IN DELTA, PA.,

TO DISCUSS PEACH BOTTOM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT ANNUAL ASSESSMENT

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

18, to discuss the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Peach Bottom nuclear 

power plant.

During the open house, which is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. at the Peach Bottom Inn, at 

6085 Delta Road in Delta, Pa., 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 plants on a full-time basis 

and their supervisors.

Overall, the Peach Bottom plant -- consisting of two boiling-water reactors located in 

Delta (York County) -- operated safely during 2012. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, 

Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3 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, Peach Bottom 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 5,570 hours of inspection to the Peach Bottom 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 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 

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-13-016

Contact: Diane Screnci, (610) 337-5330

 Neil Sheehan, (610) 337-5331

April 11, 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 Peach Bottom plant and the notice for the open 

house, as well as current performance information for Peach Bottom Unit 2 and Peach Bottom 

Unit 3, can be found on the NRC website.

Routine inspections are carried out by the two 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 Peach Bottom this year by NRC specialists 

are activities associated with emergency planning, problem identification and resolution, the dry 

cask storage of spent nuclear fuel and radiological safety.

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