NRC open house to discuss McGuire nuclear plant performance

Staff members at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have scheduled an open house and poster session for Thursday to discuss the agency’s 2014 review of the McGuire nuclear plant’s two unit reactors.

The 5:30 p.m. open house will be held at the McGuire Energy Explorium, 13339 Hagers Ferry Road, Huntersville, North Carolina. NRC inspectors will be available to discuss the facility’s performance in 2014 and the agency’s oversight plans for 2015.

The NRC’s 2014 review of the McGuire plant found that the facility met the agency’s standards for public and environmental safety performance. The plant will continue to receive the required level of baseline inspections.

“NRC inspectors continually evaluate each nuclear plant’s safety, and each year we take a detailed look at that information to identify any trends and help plan future inspections,” NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said. “Inspection results are available throughout the year, but these annual meetings allow us to talk to local residents and answer any questions they may have.”

The NRC’s five-column action matrix reflects overall plant performance and agency response with the first column requiring a baseline level of inspections. If a plant slips into another column, an increased level of NRC oversight and inspections will follow until the agency regains confidence in the plant’s ability to perform safely.