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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 PUBLIC MEETING IN WATERFORD, CONN., ON CHANGES IN REACTOR OVERSIGHT PROCESS

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a joint meeting with Connecticut's Nuclear Energy Advisory Council on Thursday, July 20, at which the NRC staff will explain the agency's new reactor oversight process.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Town Hall in Waterford, Conn., which is home to the Millstone Nuclear Power Station. Waterford Town Hall is located at 15 Rope Ferry Road.

Members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions of NRC staff during and after the meeting. In addition, Northeast Utilities, which operates the plant, plans to make a presentation during the meeting regarding performance indicators in use at Millstone in conjunction with the new oversight process.

The new oversight process uses more objective, timely and safety-significant criteria in assessing performance while seeking to more effectively and efficiently regulate the industry. Under the new process, inspections by NRC resident inspectors and regional office-based personnel are supplemented by statistical measures of plant activities called performance indicators. These performance indicators measure important safety aspects of plant operations, including the viability of redundant safety systems, emergency planning, radiation protection and security measures.

Inspection findings and performance indicators for each nuclear power plant are posted on the NRC's web site every three months. The safety significance of each inspection finding or performance indicator is characterized by a color -- green, white, yellow or red.

The NRC response to the inspection finding and performance indicators will be based on the significance of the items. A green finding receives normal NRC oversight, while white, yellow or red assessments receive increasing NRC involvement. Multiple red findings could result in a plant shutdown.

A plain language summary of the reactor oversight process is available from the NRC Office of Public Affairs or on the web site at: www.nrc.gov/OPA/primer.htm

Detailed information regarding the reactor oversight process is available on the web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html

The Nuclear Energy Advisory Council, whose members were appointed by the state Legislature, was established to, among other things, keep state officials and citizens apprised of safety issues relating to nuclear power plants in Connecticut.

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