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	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION II 61 Forsyth Street, Suite 23T85, Atlanta, GA 30303
	CONTACT:	Ken Clark (Phone: 404/562-4416, E-mail: kmc2@nrc.gov )
		Roger Hannah (Phone 404/562-4417, E-mail: rdh1@nrc.gov )

No: II-98-61

October 15, 1998

The Turkey Point nuclear power plant, operated by Florida Power & Light Company near Homestead, Florida, has received performance ratings of "superior" in all four areas of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's latest Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) report for the facility

The report, dated October 1, evaluates the plant's performance from August 18, 1996 through August 22 of this year.

NRC and FP&L officials will discuss the report during a meeting set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday, October 22, at the Turkey Point site. The meeting is open for public observation, and NRC officials will be available afterwards to speak with reporters, state and local officials, and members of the public.

The NRC SALP process rates licensees in four functional areas -- plant operations, maintenance, engineering, and plant support -- and assigns ratings of Category 1, 2 or 3, depending on whether performance in those areas was superior, good or adequate.

The report on Turkey Point gives the plant a Category 1 rating in plant operations, maintenance, engineering and plant support, indicating "superior" performance. The ratings in the plant's two previous SALP reports were also Category 1 in all four areas.

In his cover letter to the report, NRC Regional Administrator Luis Reyes said "contributors to this performance were your conservative decisions relative to the probability of risk in the plant's operation, self-assessment and quality assurance processes" which were " effective in identifying and resolving problems," and " effective use of lessons learned to prevent repetitive problems."

This SALP report for Turkey Point will be the final one for that plant under the NRC assessment program which has been in effect for many years. The Commission last month approved suspension of the SALP process until completion of a review of the agency's nuclear power plant performance assessment system. The Commission is seeking public comments on techniques that might be used in developing a new assessment method.

EDITORS: A copy of the full SALP report is available from this office. SALP reports are also available on the NRC's Internet web site (www.nrc.gov/OPA).