NRC to Hold Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Public Exit Meeting for Inspection, Annual Assessment Discussion

NRC to Hold Pilgrim Nuclear Plant Public Exit Meeting for Inspection, Annual Assessment Discussion

Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the results of a team inspection performed at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant with Entergy, the facility’s owner, during a public meeting on
March 21 in Plymouth, Mass. The inspection was conducted in late 2016 and earlier this year as part of the agency’s increased oversight of the plant.

In addition, NRC staff will discuss the results of the agency’s annual assessment of Pilgrim’s safety performance. A letter containing information on the assessment was issued earlier this month.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., at Plymouth Memorial Hall, 83 Court St., in Plymouth. Prior to the end of the session, NRC staff will answer questions from the public on the plant’s performance and the agency’s oversight activities at the single-reactor plant.

“We look forward to the opportunity to meet with Entergy and to provide the public with further details and results from our team inspection and our annual assessment of Pilgrim,” said Region I Administrator Dan Dorman. “We remain committed to ensuring the plant continues to operate safely through the projected end of its operational life in 2019.”

Pilgrim is currently in column 4 of the NRC’s Action Matrix, a designation that results in increased scrutiny. To date, NRC inspections and assessments have determined that Pilgrim continues to operate safely, and at this time additional regulatory action beyond Column 4 is not required. While the plant is in that status, the NRC will continuously evaluate Pilgrim’s performance and the need for additional regulatory action.

The “Phase C” inspection – one of three team inspections performed by the NRC at Pilgrim after the plant entered Column 4 in late 2015 – will support the development of a Confirmatory Action Letter. That letter will document corrective actions to be implemented by Entergy to demonstrate sustained performance improvement and to provide a basis for the plant exiting Column 4. Additional follow-up inspections will be conducted to verify that commitments contained in the letter have been satisfactorily completed.

In 2016, the NRC performed approximately 12,040 hours of inspection at Pilgrim.

Following the release of the annual assessment letters each March, the NRC conducts a public meeting or open house in the vicinity of each plant to discuss the results. The meeting notice will be available on the NRC website.