NRC CITES NUCLEAR MANAGEMENT COMPANY FOR SAFETY VIOLATION
AT PALISADES NUCLEAR PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has determined that a violation of NRC regulations at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant should be characterized as "white," meaning that it is an issue with low to moderate safety significance, but one which may require additional NRC inspections. The plant, located near Covert, Michigan, is operated by the Nuclear Management Company.

The violation concerned the inadequate number and spacing of smoke detectors in the plant's cable spreading room.

Under the safety significance determination process, NRC officials classify certain conditions at nuclear power plants as being one of four colors which delineate increasing levels of safety significance, beginning with green and progressing to white, yellow or red.

The violation was identified during an NRC inspection that was completed on August 17, 2001. The Nuclear Management Company did not contest the "white" characterization of the safety significance of this finding and officials chose not to meet with the NRC staff.

The Nuclear Management Company has taken compensatory measures to address the problem until permanent corrective actions are completed. The NRC plans to conduct a follow-up inspection on this issue early next year.

The company has until November 9 to appeal the NRC's finding.

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.

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Friday, December 05, 2008