NRC Identifies Nuclear Power Plants Warranting Increased Regulatory Attention

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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
	Office of Public Affairs	Telephone: 301/415-8200
	Washington, DC 20555-001	E-mail: opa@nrc.gov

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No. 98-129

July 29, 1998

NRC IDENTIFIES NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
WARRANTING INCREASED REGULATORY ATTENTION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has identified five nuclear power plants that warrant a continuation of currently increased NRC regulatory attention.

The plants remained on the NRC Watch List as the result of a recent performance review by senior NRC managers and after concurrence by the Commission. They were discussed in a staff briefing of the Commission today.

The plants are:

• Millstone Units 2 and 3, operated by Northeast Utilities Service Co. at Waterford, Connecticut (first listed in January 1996). Unit 2 continues to be listed as a Watch List "Category 3" plant requiring Commission approval for restart. Unit 3, which recently resumed operation after a long shutdown, is listed on the Watch List as a "Category 2" plant authorized to operate with close NRC monitoring.

• Clinton, operated by Illinois Power Co., six miles east of Clinton, Illinois (first listed in January of this year) continues on the Watch List as a "Category 2" plant.

• LaSalle Units 1 and 2, operated by Commonwealth Edison near Ottawa, Illinois (first listed in January 1997) continue on the Watch List as a "Category 2" plants.

Plants removed from the Watch List are:

• Crystal River Unit 3, operated by Florida Power Corp. near Crystal River, Florida (listed in January 1997);

• Salem Units 1 and 2, operated by Public Service Electric and Gas Co. near Salem, New Jersey (first listed in January 1997); and

• Dresden Units 2 and 3, operated by Commonwealth Edison near Morris, Illinois (first listed in June 1987, removed in December 1988, and added again in January 1992).

Plants administratively removed from the Watch List following decisions to cease operations permanently are:

• Zion Units 1 and 2, operated by Commonwealth Edison, 40 miles north of Chicago (first listed in January 1991, removed in January 1993, and added again in January 1997); and

• Millstone Unit 1, operated by Northeast Utilities Service Co. at Waterford, Connecticut(first listed in January 1996).

In addition, the NRC staff informed American Electric Power Co. of declining performance at D.C. Cook Units 1 and 2, located 11 miles south of Benton Harbor, Michigan, by issuing the licensee a trending letter. NRC also has informed Commonwealth Edison that it could not conclude that the adverse performance trend, first identified in a letter in January, had been arrested at Quad Cities Units 1 and 2 near Moline, Illinois.

As directed by the Commission, NRC senior staff managers in the future will meet annually, rather than twice a year, to review the performance of nuclear power plants and major nuclear materials licensees and to recommend additions or deletions from the Watch List. The agency will continue to take any action needed to address safety or regulatory problems promptly as needed between these annual senior management meetings.

EDITORS: Texts of letters to utilities with plants on the Watch List or which have been removed from the list will be available on the NRC's Internet home page at: http://www.nrc.gov/OPA