NRC schedules open house for River Bend nuclear plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold a public open house Tuesday to discuss the agency’s review of the River Bend nuclear power plant’s 2014 safety performance and the agency’s oversight plans for 2015.

The 4-5:30 p.m. open house will be held at the Town Hall Meeting Room of the St. Francisville Town Hall, 11936 Ferdinand St., in St. Francisville, Louisiana. NRC staff, including inspectors and staff from the Region IV office in Arlington, Texas, will be available for one on one discussions.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of River Bend and the nation’s other commercial nuclear power plants,” NRC Region IV Administrator Marc Dapas said. “Meetings like this provide members of the public with an opportunity to speak directly with the NRC staff who help ensure the plant’s safety on a day-to-day basis.”

The NRC’s 2014 review of the River Bend plant found that the facility met the agency’s standards for public and environmental safety performance, but it will receive additional oversight due to a security violation and two unplanned shutdowns during the fourth quarter of 2014.

Through the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency rates plant performance with color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators. These statistical measurements of plant performance allow the NRC to implement additional oversight if needed.

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.