NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
FOR SEABROOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
Printable Version

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FPL Energy Seabrook, LLC, on Wednesday, March 16, to discuss the agency’s annual assessment of safety performance at the Seabrook nuclear power plant. The period of performance to be discussed is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2004..

FPL Energy operates the plant, which is located in Seabrook, N.H.

The meeting, which will be open to the public for observation, is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. at the plant’s Emergency Operations Facility, 165 Gosling Road in Newington, N.H. Before the session is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public on the plant’s safety performance, as well as the agency’s role in ensuring safe operation of the facility.

"Every year the NRC rates the performance of Seabrook and the nation’s other commercial nuclear power plants," NRC Region I Administrator Samuel J. Collins said. "This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our assessment with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to make as much information as possible available to the public regarding our oversight of these facilities."

A letter sent from the NRC Region I Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/seab_2004q4.pdf .

Overall, the Seabrook plant operated safely during the period. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear power plant performance. The colors start with "green" and then increase to "white," "yellow" or "red," commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Because all of the inspection findings and performance indicators for the plant during 2004 were determined to be "green," Seabrook will receive a baseline level of inspections during the upcoming assessment period.

Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa., and the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are fire protection, emergency preparedness and radiological safety.

Current performance information for Seabrook is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/SEAB1/seab1_chart.html.

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Thursday, December 11, 2008