NRC TO MEET WITH OFFICIALS FROM NUCLEAR MANAGEMENT TO DISCUSS SAFETY PERFORMANCE AT PRAIRIE ISLAND
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The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Prairie Island Training Center Auditorium, 1717 Wakonade Drive East, in Welch. The public is invited to observe the meeting, and NRC officials will be available before the conclusion of the meeting for questions and comments from the public.

A letter from the NRC to the Nuclear Management Company addresses plant safety performance during the previous year and forms the basis for the meeting discussions. The letter states that, overall, Prairie Island operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety.

The letter also talks about a finding of low to moderate safety significance, associated with the lubrication water source for the safety-related cooling water pumps. The NRC conducted a special inspection on this issue, which was originally identified in 2000, in the second quarter of 2002, and concluded that it has been successfully resolved. No follow-up inspections are planned.

The letter also states, “Additionally, on December 13, 2002, the staff issued a Severity Level III Notice of Violation and a Proposed Imposition of Civil Penalty in accordance with the enforcement policy. The action was issued for incomplete and inaccurate information provided in April 2001 as part of a request for a Notice of Enforcement Discretion.”

The assessment letter is available from Region III Public Affairs Office and on the NRC web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/prai_2002q4.pdf

In addition, the letter notes: "As you are aware, since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the NRC has issued several Orders and threat advisories to enhance security capabilities and improve guard force readiness. We have conducted inspections to review your implementation of these requirements and have monitored your actions in response to changing threat advisories. For calendar Year 2003, we plan to continue these inspections and conduct portions of the security baseline inspection program, as well as perform additional inspections to evaluate your compliance with new requirements that may be ordered."

Current performance information for Prairie Island is available on the NRC web site at:
http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/index.html

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Thursday, February 22, 2007