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NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION I 475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406

NRC to Hold Workshop in Philadelphia on its New Reactor Inspection and Assessment Program

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a workshop March 21-23 in Philadelphia, Pa., to discuss its revised reactor oversight program with industry representatives.

The workshop, which is being offered in preparation for the program's nationwide implementation in early April at all 103 operating commercial power reactors in the United States, will take place at the Holiday Inn, 400 Arch Street. It will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 21 and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 22 and 23. Registration will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. on March 21. There is no pre-registration.

Since last June, 13 reactors at nine sites throughout the U.S. have participated in a pilot oversight program. (In Region I, which encompasses the Northeastern U.S., the James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plant in Scriba, N.Y., and the Hope Creek and Salem plants in Hancocks Bridge, N.J., have been taking part.) NRC staff members have been assessing and modifying the program before its nationwide expansion.

At the workshop, NRC staff members will give industry representatives at the non-pilot plants in Region I an opportunity to become familiar with the new program. It will also be open to members of the public.

The workshop will feature presentations from NRC regional and headquarters staff, with the first day focusing on a program overview and performance indicators, which are measurements of a plant's performance. The second day will focus on the baseline inspection program, supplemental inspections and the significance determination process, which will be used by the agency to gauge the safety importance of events and issues. The final day will focus again on the significance determination process. Day three presenters also will discuss enforcement and the assessment process under the new program.

The revised reactor oversight process takes into account improvements in the nuclear industry and the agency's need to effectively regulate the industry with existing resources and staff. Under the new program, the NRC will apply more objective and timely criteria in assessing a plant's performance, while focusing agency resources on areas that have the greatest impact on safe plant operation.

Information about the revised reactor oversight process and the pilot program is available on the Internet at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/index.html

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