No. I-15-022 May 12, 2015 

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

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

 

NRC to Hold Regulatory Performance Public Meeting

Regarding Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant on May 20th

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will present details on its annual assessment of 

safety performance at the Indian Point nuclear power plant during a public meeting on May 20th

in Tarrytown, N.Y. 

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Westchester 

Marriott, located at 670 White Plains Road. Doors to the room will open to the public at 6 p.m. 

For security purposes, local law-enforcement officers will be conducting searches of personal 

items, such as purses and backpacks, and random screenings at the room’s entry point.

NRC staff will be available starting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss issues related to the plant. 

Prior to the end of the 7 p.m. meeting, NRC staff will answer questions on the plant’s 

performance and the agency’s oversight activities at the Buchanan (Westchester County), N.Y., 

facility.

An audio recording will be made of the meeting, and that recording will be transcribed. 

Both the recording and the transcript will be made available on the NRC’s website, 

www.nrc.gov, at a later date.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency gauges plant performance 

through the use of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are 

statistical measurements of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded.

On an overall basis, Indian Point, which is owned by Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., 

operated safely in 2014. As of the end of last year, the plant had no inspection findings or 

performance indicators that were greater than “green” (very low safety significance). Therefore, 

Indian Point Units 2 and 3 are currently under the NRC’s normal level of oversight.

The NRC’s normal level of oversight at each U.S. nuclear power plant involves 

thousands of hours of inspection. In 2014, the agency devoted approximately 8,280 hours of 

review at Indian Point.
“By assessing each plant’s performance in a comprehensive manner, we are able to focus 

our inspection resources on those areas most in need of attention,” NRC Region I Administrator 

Dan Dorman said. “Because Indian Point did not have any safety or security issues rising above 

very low significance in 2014, we are not currently planning any inspections above and beyond 

our normal reviews.”

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 performed by three Resident Inspectors assigned to Indian Point. 

Reviews are also carried out 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 Indian Point are 

groundwater monitoring, emergency planning, the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel and the 

plant’s problem identification and resolution program.

The NRC will also review Entergy’s adherence to license renewal commitments for 

Indian Point 3. That unit’s initial 40-year operating license will expire on Dec. 12, 2015, but it 

will remain valid while the agency continues to review a license extension application for plant. 

Despite the lack of a final decision on the application, the NRC expects Entergy to abide by 

equipment maintenance and other commitments that would be formalized if the plant were to 

receive an extension.

The Annual Assessment letter for Indian Point, as well as the notice for the May 20th

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

for Indian Point 2 and Indian Point 3.