NRC To Discuss Performance at Fitzpatrick Nuclear Plant

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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406

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No. I-00-37

June 2, 2000

CONTACT:

Diane Screnci (610)337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan (610)337-5331/e-mail: nas@nrc.gov

NRC TO DISCUSS PERFORMANCE AT FITZPATRICK NUCLEAR PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a meeting for Tuesday, June 6, to discuss the NRC Reactor Oversight Program Annual Assessment for the New York Power Authority's James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, will be held at 10:00 a.m. in the FitzPatrick Training Center Auditorium, at the plant site in Scriba, NY. At its conclusion, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from interested observers.

Issuance of the reviews was announced in NRC news release No.00-085 - www.nrc.gov/OPA/gmo/nrarcv/00-085.html. The Assessment Letter can be found on the agency's web site: www.nrc.gov/OPA/ppr/fitz2000.html.

FitzPatrick was one of 13 nuclear power plants that participated in a six-month pilot evaluation of the NRC's revised reactor oversight program. No significant performance problems were identified at any of the 13 plants.

All commercial nuclear power plants (with the exception of the two D.C. Cook plants, due to their extended shutdown) are now being evaluated under the revised reactor oversight process initiated on April 2. The NRC expects to make additional refinements to the program during its first year of implementation.

As part of the new program, each plant will receive an assessment letter every six months which will include a 12-month inspection plan that may be updated periodically to reflect changes in nuclear power plant performance and NRC resource allocations. Updated information on plant performance is being posted to the NRC web site every quarter at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html.