NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE AT McGUIRE NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
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The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff is scheduled to meet with Duke Energy officials April 19 to discuss the NRC’s annual assessment of safety performance at the McGuire nuclear power plant, located near Huntersville, N. C. The period covered is the calendar year 2004.

The 1:00 p.m. meeting at the McGuire Office Complex on the plant site is open to public observation. Before the meeting ends, NRC staff will be available to answer public questions on the plant’s safety performance, as well as the agency’s role in ensuring safe operation of the facility.

"Each year the NRC staff rates the performance of the McGuire plant and all of the nation’s other commercial nuclear power plants," NRC Region II Administrator William Travers said. "This meeting gives us a chance to discuss our assessment with the company, with local officials and with residents near the plant. Our aim is to make this information available to the public and answer any questions people may have about our oversight."

Overall, the McGuire plant operated safely during 2004. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with "green" and increase to "white," "yellow" or "red," commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. The McGuire plant had nothing classified beyond "green" during 2004. Based on these results and overall performance, McGuire will receive the baseline, or normal, level of inspections during 2005. The NRC also plans several additional inspections including routine inspections of the plant’s independent spent fuel storage installation, inspections of pressurizer penetration nozzles and steam space piping connections, and operator licensing examinations.

A letter sent from the NRC Region II Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/mcg_2004q4.pdf .

Routine inspections are performed by NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region II Office in Atlanta, and the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Md.

Current information for the McGuire plant is available on the NRC web site at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MCG1/mcg1_chart.html and
www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/MCG2/mcg2_chart.html.

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Thursday, February 22, 2007