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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
	CONTACT:	Diane Screnci (610)337-5330/ e-mail: dps@nrc.gov Neil A. Sheehan (610)337-5331/e-mail: nas@nrc.gov

I-98-60

May 21, 1998

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) Company officials on Thursday, May 28, to discuss three apparent violations of agency requirements concerning implementation of the "Maintenance Rule" program at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant. BG&E owns and operates Calvert Cliffs, which is located in Lusby, Md.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the Public Meeting Room at the NRC Region I office in King of Prussia, Pa. It will be open to the public for observation.

During an inspection conducted at Calvert Cliffs from March 30 to April 3, NRC inspectors looked at BG&E's compliance with the agency's Maintenance Rule. (Similar inspections have been performed at dozens of plants across the country.) The rule, which took effect in July 1996, requires nuclear power plant owners to monitor the effectiveness of maintenance activities for safety-significant equipment to provide reasonable assurance -- particularly as plants age -- that it would be capable of performing its intended functions if called upon following an accident.

The inspectors found the following apparent violations at Calvert Cliffs: A failure to include a number of systems that fall within the Maintenance Rule in a category where heightened scrutiny is necessary; a failure to establish performance measures for the emergency diesel generator building's heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems and thereby demonstrate their continued operability; and a failure to include the safety-related portion of the emergency lighting located outside the control room within the scope of the Maintenance Rule program.

The decision to hold a predecisional enforcement conference does not mean that the NRC has determined a violation has occurred or that enforcement action will be taken. Rather, the purpose is to discuss apparent violations, their causes and safety significance; to provide the licensee with an opportunity to point out any errors that may have been made in the NRC inspection report; and to enable the licensee to outline its proposed corrective action.

No decision on the apparent violations will be made at this conference. That decision will be made by NRC officials at a later time.