NRC Finds Performance 'Acceptable' at McGuire in Latest Review

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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 23T85, Atlanta, GA 30303

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No: II-99-26
April 5, 1999

CONTACT:

Ken Clark (Phone: 404/562-4416, E-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov) Roger Hannah (Phone 404/562-4417, E-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov)

 

NRC FINDS PERFORMANCE 'ACCEPTABLE' AT MCGUIRE IN LATEST REVIEW

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has found that safety performance remains acceptable in the NRC's latest plant performance review at the McGuire nuclear power plant, operated by Duke Power Company near Huntersville, North Carolina.

In a letter to Duke Power which outlined the results of the review, which ran from March 1997 through January 1999, Charles R. Ogle, an official in the agency's Atlanta regional office, said "overall performance at McGuire was acceptable" and that "strong management involvement resulted in improvements" in the area of plant operations. He said performance also improved in maintenance and plant support and that engineering performance was "consistent."

Ogle said that the NRC plans to conduct inspections from the Atlanta regional office on the plant's ice condensers, fire protection system, and development of an Independent Spent Fuel (Dry Cask) Storage Installation, in addition to its normal inspection program, during the next assessment period at McGuire.

The text of the plant performance review letter is available from the NRC Region II Office of Public Affairs and on 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 being used by the NRC as an interim measure 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 sites beginning in June and will be extended to all plants next January. A full description of the new program is available on the NRC web site.