Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold public meeting on Pilgrim March 18

Public will have the opportunity to comment following the business portion of the meeting

Article | News | March 8, 2015 - 7:00am | By CapeCodToday Staff

 

The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced a public meeting with Entergy set for Wednesday, March 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel Plymouth Harbor on Water Street.

The public is invited observe the meeting between the NRC and representatives from Entergy, the Louisiana-based company that owns the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the NRC's assessment of safety performance at Pilgrim for 2014 and the results of a the Inspection Procedure 95002 supplemental inspection completed on December 12, 2014 (see the assessment letter dated March 4, 2015 here).

The agenda for the meeting will begin with an introduction followed by a 30-minute discussion of Pilgrim's 2014 performance and the supplemental inspection results. The next 30 minutes will be spent discussing new or existing programs designed to maintain or improve Entergy's current performance. After at 10 minute break, the NRC will field questions from the public.

As a Category 1 meeting, the public will not have the opportunity to speak prior to the break, but will have the chance to communicate with NRC representatives before the meeting adjourns at 9 p.m.

An Inspection Procedure 95002 supplemental inspection is performed in response to "one degraded cornerstone or three white inputs in a strategic performance area".




http://www.capecodtoday.com/article/2015/03/08/29251-nuclear-regulatory-commission-hold-public-meeting-pilgrim-march-18




NRC: Pilgrim nuke plant had 'degraded' performance for 2014


Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has been listed by the NRC as having a degraded level of performance for 2014. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times file

By Mary Ann Bragg
mbragg@capecodonline.com

Posted Mar. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM

Zoom

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station has been listed by the NRC as having a degraded level of performance for 2014. Merrily Cassidy/Cape Cod Times file

 

 

By Mary Ann Bragg
mbragg@capecodonline.com

Posted Mar. 8, 2015 at 2:00 AM

In annual assessment letters issued to the country’s 100 commercial nuclear power plants, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has listed the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth with a degraded level of performance for 2014.

The Pilgrim plant was one of three reactors with a degraded level of performance, according to a press release from the NRC issued Friday. The other reactors are Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant, Unit 1, in Monticello, Minnesota, and Point Beach Nuclear Plant, Unit 1, in Two Rivers, Wisconsin.

For reactors in the degraded category, regulatory oversight includes more NRC inspections and senior management attention focused on the cause of the degraded performance. The Monticello plant resolved some of its issues since the reporting period ended and has moved to the second-highest-performing level, according to the NRC.

NRC officials will hold a public meeting on March 18 in Plymouth to discuss the details of the annual assessment, according to NRC spokeswoman Diane Screnci. Along with the annual assessment letters, the NRC also sends an inspection plan to plant owners.

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is owned by Entergy Nuclear Operations, Inc. Its operating license was issued in 1972, and a renewed operating license was issued in 2012, to expire in 2032.

“We look forward to our discussions with the NRC,” Entergy spokeswoman Lauren Burm said. “We take their assessments very seriously, and we are committed to continuously strengthening our ability to identify and resolve any issues in a timely, effective manner, that not only meets the NRC’s expectations but also the high standards to which we hold ourselves. As always, we are dedicated to the safe and secure operation of Pilgrim.”

In the Pilgrim assessment letter, dated March 4, NRC Regional Administrator Daniel Dorman cites issues revealed in quarterly evaluations in 2014 and the automatic closure of the plant during a winter storm on Jan. 27. The results of a special inspection, initiated by the NRC, into the Jan. 27 closure have not been finalized, Dorman stated in the assessment letter.

In a letter sent to Gov. Baker on March 4, watchdog groups in the region asked the governor to use his authority to protect the state’s residents from dangers related to the Pilgrim plant, including asking for the NRC to shut down the reactor whenever there is the threat of a severe snowstorm. The groups also asked Baker to improve Pilgrim’s radiological emergency plan for evacuation and sheltering in place and to support pending bills filed by Cape legislators that would assess the plant owner a fee for onsite nuclear waste, expand the emergency planning zone and increase radiological monitoring.

Two other reactors, Arkansas Nuclear One, Units 1 and 2, in London, Arkansas, were in a fourth performance category, requiring increased oversight because of two safety findings of substantial significance, according to the NRC. A plant in Nebraska is currently under a special NRC oversight program distinct from the normal performance levels because of an extended shutdown associated with significant performance issues.

Of the 94 highest-performing reactors, 75 fully met all safety and security performance objectives, the NRC said.

“Our goal in issuing these letters is to ensure that all of our stakeholders clearly understand the basis for our assessment of plant performance, our future inspection plans, and the actions we are taking to address any notable deficiencies,” Bill Dean, director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, stated in the NRC press materials.

 http://www.capecodtimes.com/article/20150308/NEWS/150309472/101015/NEWSLETTER100