Home > Electronic Reading Room > Document Collections > News Releases > 1999 > IV-99-007

	NRC NEWS U. S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGION IV 611 Ryan Plaza Drive, Suite 400, Arlington TX 76011
	CONTACT:	Breck Henderson (817) 860-8128/e-mail: bwh@nrc.gov

RIV: 98-07

March 22, 1999

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has found in its latest Plant Performance Review (PPR) that safety performance remains acceptable at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant, located near Burlington, Kansas.

NRC's review covers the period from April 19, 1998, to January 25, 1999. Officials from the NRC and Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Co. (WCNOC), the operator of Wolf Creek, will discuss the PPR during a meeting set for 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 25, in the Eisenhower Learning Center. The meeting is open for public observation. NRC officials will be available afterwards to speak with reporters, state and local officials, or members of the public.

In a letter to WCNOC President Otto L. Maynard summarizing the review findings, NRC Branch Chief David N. Graves said, "Overall, performance at Wolf Creek Generating Station was acceptable. Management has been involved in all functional levels." In each area that was inspected by the NRC, Mr. Graves characterized management as "effective" in maintaining safe conditions and practices and concluded that only the "core inspection" program will be conducted during the coming six months.

The Plant Performance Review, which is conducted every six months, is an interim measure NRC is utilizing to monitor nuclear power plants' safety performance. NRC began using it after suspending the Systematic Assessment of Licensee Performance (SALP) program pending development of a new assessment mechanism.

Previously, SALP reports were the principal means by which the NRC assessed nuclear power plant performance and informed the public of its findings. The new plant assessment regimen will be tested in a pilot program at eight plants beginning in June. If successful, it will be applied nationwide in January of next year. A full description of the new program can be found on the NRC website at www.nrc.gov/OPA/primer.htm.

Plant Performance Reviews are conducted by the NRC staff to determine the amount of inspection that will be required at a given plant during the coming six months. The information is also used by senior NRC managers during their annual review of the performance of all the nation's nuclear plants. No grading system is applied and the only terms used to describe overall performance are acceptable or unacceptable.

The full text of the Plant Performance Review letter can be obtained by calling Region IV public affairs, or on the NRC website at http://www.nrc.gov/OPA/ppr.

###