NRC Finds Performance 'Acceptable' at Diablo Canyon in Latest Review


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U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV

611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011

 

RIV: 99-20
April 8, 1999

CONTACT: Breck Henderson (817) 860-8128/e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov

 

NRC FINDS PERFORMANCE 'ACCEPTABLE' AT DIABLO CANYON IN LATEST REVIEW

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has found that safety performance remains acceptable in the NRC's latest plant performance review at Diablo Canyon, a nuclear power plant near San Luis Obispo, California.

Officials of NRC and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) will discuss the review during a meeting set for Friday, April 23, at 2 p.m. in the Embassy Suites Hotel, 333 Madonna Rd., San Luis Obispo. The meeting will be open for public observation. NRC officials will be available afterwards to speak with reporters, state and local officials, and members of the public.

In a letter to PG&E Senior Vice President and General Manager Gregory M. Rueger, NRC Branch Chief Linda J. Smith said, "Overall, performance at Diablo Canyon remained acceptable." Operators performed well, and maintenance continued at the same level as the last assessment. The performance in engineering demonstrated a slight improvement during this period. With the exception of a decline in emergency response performance during drills, plant support activities were also effectively implemented. Individual performance discrepancies are being addressed by the plant's corrective action program. Only core inspections are scheduled during the next eight months.

The text of the plant performance review letter is available from the NRC Region IV Office of Public Affairs and the NRC web site.

NRC reviews safety performance twice a year at every licensed nuclear power plant in the nation. These reviews give the agency staff an integrated assessment of plant performance and provide a basis for planning inspection activities.

Plant performance reviews are an interim measure NRC is utilizing to monitor nuclear power plant safety. The agency began using it for this purpose after suspending the Systematic Assessment of License Performance (SALP) process until a new assessment program is developed. Previously, SALP reports were issued every 12 to 24 months.

The new reactor oversight and assessment program being developed will provide quarterly performance reports, based on a number of performance indicators and on inspection findings. This program will be tested at eight plants beginning in June and, if found acceptable, will be extended to all plants next January. A full description of the new program is available on the NRC web site.

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