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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 CITES CON ED FOR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS VIOLATIONS AT IP2

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has cited Consolidated Edison Company of New York for three violations related to the emergency preparedness (EP) program at Indian Point 2. Con Ed operates the nuclear power plant located in Buchanan, N.Y. The NRC has determined the violations are of low to moderate safety significance ("white" findings).

In May and June of this year, the NRC conducted an inspection of the EP program at Indian Point 2, including observation of an emergency exercise. This inspection followed up on the enforcement aspects of emergency preparedness issues that had previously been identified during an Augmented Inspection Team inspection in February. The AIT was conducted immediately after the February 15 steam generator tube failure at IP2.

A July 14 inspection report listed three potential "white" findings and offered the company an opportunity to attend a regulatory conference with the NRC staff or to respond to the report in writing. The Company declined to attend a conference, indicating it did not contest the characterization of the risk significance of these findings. The NRC staff now has completed its assessment using the significance determination process and determined that the three findings were appropriately characterized as "white." These "white" findings involve failures to meet NRC emergency planning standards for: the timely augmentation by the emergency reponse organization, the timely accountability of onsite radiation emergency response workers and the factual and consistent dissemination of information to the media and a local official.

In a letter to the company, Hubert J. Miller, Region I Administrator, wrote "These failures contributed to emergency response deficiencies that were exhibited during the course of the SGTF (steam generator tube failure) Alert Event."

The safety significance of each inspection finding is characterized by a color -- green, white, yellow, or red. The NRC response to the inspection findings 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.

Con Ed has 30 days to respond to this notice of violation.

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