NRC SCHEDULES MEETING OCT. 3 TO DISCUSS INSPECTION ATBROWNS

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NRC SCHEDULES MEETING OCT. 3 TO DISCUSS INSPECTION ATBROWNS FERRY NUCLEAR POWER PLANTThe Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a public meeting at the Browns Ferry nuclear power plant to discuss the results of the first phase of NRC supplemental inspections performed as a result of a “red” inspection finding at the plant. The meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3, at 1 p.m. CDT at the Browns Ferry TrainingCenter Auditorium, 10833 Shaw Road in Athens, Ala. The meeting will include members of theNRC supplemental inspection team as well as managers from the NRC’s Region II office in Atlanta. After the results are presented to the plant’s operator, the Tennessee Valley Authority, willhave an opportunity to respond. NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the public.Members of the public interested in participating by telephone should contact the NRC's Eugene Guthrie at 404-997-4662 or eugene.guthrie@nrc.gov. The “red” finding was issued because of the failure of a low pressure coolant injection valve at the plant last fall. That valve is part of a system that would be used for core cooling during certain accident scenarios and its inoperable state could have led to core damage had a series of unlikelyevents occurred. The valve has since been replaced. Under the NRC’s oversight process, a “red”finding has “high safety significance” and results in increased NRC inspection and oversight of the facility.The increased NRC oversight at Browns Ferry includes a broad set of supplemental inspections to evaluate safety, organizational and programmatic issues at the plant. This meetingdiscusses the first phase of the three-phase supplemental inspection, which will continue for severalmonths at the plant. The second phase is expected to begin in October.The inspections include a more extensive review of programs and processes than thoseconducted as part of the NRC’s baseline inspection program. The facility’s safety culture will also be assessed.The three-unit Browns Ferry plant is located near Athens, about 32 miles west of Huntsville.###