No. I-16-019 June 13, 2016 

Contact: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

NRC to Hold Public Meeting on June 21 in Hampton, N.H.,

Regarding Performance of Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will share information on its annual assessment of safety 

performance at the Seabrook nuclear power plant during a public meeting on Tuesday, June 21, in 

Hampton, N.H.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Best Western Plus – The Inn at Hampton, 

at 815 Lafayette Road. During the meeting, NRC staff will answer questions regarding the plant’s 

performance and the agency’s oversight activities at the Seabrook, N.H., plant, which is owned by 

NextEra. In addition, the staff will be prepared to address the topic of concrete degradation at the 

facility. The NRC’s reviews in that area are ongoing.

Immediately preceding the meeting will be an open house. From 5:30 to 6:15 p.m., NRC staff 

will be available at the same location to talk on a one-on-one basis with members of the public about 

plant-related topics.

Determinations on performance are based on a combination of inspection findings and 

performance indicators utilized by the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the foundational program 

used by the agency to complete its mission of assessing plant safety. The findings and indicators are 

classified by color, ranging from “green,” for an issue of very low safety or security significance, to 

“white,” “yellow” or “red,” representing high safety or security significance. 

Based on agency reviews, the NRC determined that the Seabrook plant, a single pressurizedwater reactor, operated safely during 2015. As of the end of last year, the plant had no inspection 

findings that were “greater than green” or no performance indicators that were other than “green”. The 

facility will therefore receive the NRC’s normal battery of reviews, barring any changes.

In 2015, the NRC performed approximately 5,470 hours of inspection at Seabrook. “While our 

oversight of each facility is an ongoing activity, these annual assessments allow us to step back at 

regular intervals and size up plant performance and make any necessary adjustments,” NRC Region I 

Administrator Dan Dorman said. “In the case of Seabrook, the plant’s current performance qualifies for 

our normal level of oversight.”

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 
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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 two Resident Inspectors assigned to Seabrook. 

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

in King of Prussia, Pa.

Among the areas undergoing inspections this year at Seabrook are radiological safety, 

emergency preparedness and the plant’s program for identifying and resolving problems. In addition, 

the NRC will be inspecting the plant’s implementation of post-Fukushima requirements.

The annual assessment letter for Seabrook, as well as the notice for the June 21st meeting, are 

available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available for Seabrook.