NUKE PLANT SAFETY: NRC to host open house May 3

Published 5:45 am Wednesday, April 26, 2017

The 2016 safety performance of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant will be the topic of an open house set for May 3, officials announced this week.

The event will be held from 6-7 p.m. at the Aerospace Center at Calhoun Community College, 6250 U.S. 31 North. The event is hosted by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Inspectors and managers responsible for NRC oversight of the plant, including the site-based resident inspectors, will be on hand to discuss the plant’s regulatory performance and NRC inspections.

“Overall, the Browns Ferry plant operated safely during 2016 and met NRC requirements,” said a press release from the NRC.

At the end of 2016, the three-unit plant had no inspection findings or performance indicators outside the normal band. As a result, it is currently under the NRC’s baseline level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency assesses plant performance through the use of color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are statistical measurements of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded. Any inspection findings or performance indicators that are greater than green (very low safety significance) trigger increased NRC oversight.

Routine inspections are performed by resident inspectors assigned to the plant. Reviews are also carried out at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency’s Region II office in Atlanta.

The annual assessment letter for Browns Ferry, as well as the notice for the meeting, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 is also available.