NRC: News Release - Region I - 2003-061 - NRC Sends Special Inspection Team to Ginna Nuclear Plant to Review Containment Sump Issue

				Search Options
Index \| Site Map \| FAQ \| Facility Info \| Reading Rm \| New \| Help \| Glossary \| Contact Us

NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region I
475 Allendale Road, King of Prussia, Pa. 19406
www.nrc.gov

No. I-03-061		October 7, 2003
CONTACT:	Diane Screnci (610) 337-5330 Neil A. Sheehan (610) 337-5331	E-mail: OPA1.Resource@nrc.gov
NRC SENDS SPECIAL INSPECTION TEAM TO GINNA NUCLEAR PLANT TO REVIEW CONTAINMENT SUMP ISSUE Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has sent a team of inspectors to the R.E. Ginna nuclear power plant to review a degraded containment sump condition. The plant, located in Ontario, N.Y., is operated by Rochester Gas & Electric (RGE) Company. The containment sump would, under certain accident conditions, be used to collect water released from the reactor coolant system and pump it back into the reactor vessel. Earlier this year, NRC sent a letter to operators of pressurized water reactors asking them, among other things, to confirm that their containment sump systems comply with NRC regulations. On September 18, RGE informed the NRC that while performing an inspection in response to the bulletin, it found a potential flow path into the containment sump that bypasses screening designed to prevent foreign materials from getting into and potentially clogging the sump. The three-member special inspection will determine the facts, conditions, circumstances and causes of the containment sump issue. The inspection will focus on assessing Ginna’s performance related to the degraded condition, including immediate corrective actions. A report detailing the findings will be issued within 45 days of the end of the inspection.
NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.