Indian Point Safety, Sale Topic Of Nuclear Regulators' Meeting

CORTLANDT, NY — Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting Sept. 22 to discuss three issues about the Indian Point nuclear facility.

The NRC staff will provide information on a proposed transfer of Indian Point’s license to Holtec International, will share information on the NRC’s inspection of Entergy’s revised hazards analysis of a natural gas pipeline that crosses the plant site, and will discuss the plant's 2019 safety performance.

The NRC will address its problems with a public stakeholder's petitions for enforcement action over problems in the analysis of potential hazards from the AIM pipeline. SEE: Feds Lied About Pipeline Near NY Power Plant.

It will also discuss Holtec. There is litigation against the company by a coalition of 12 states supporting Massachusetts's challenge to the NRC's approval for the transfer of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station's license to Holtec. In addition to leading that coalition, New York Attorney General Letitia James also filed a petition to intervene in the transfer of Indian Point to Holtec. SEE: Holtec's Plan To Demolish Indian Point Generates Many Questions

The Annual Assessment for Indian Point was issued earlier in 2020, along with the assessments for the other U.S. nuclear power plants. Then the Indian Point meeting was delayed by the coronavirus public health emergency.

Indian Point operated safely during 2019. At the conclusion of the year, all inspection findings and performance indicators for Indian Point Unit 3 were green, or of very low safety significance. As a result, the plant in 2020 will receive the normal level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year. Indian Point Unit 3 will transition to the NRC’s decommissioning oversight program following its permanent shutdown next year.

The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight.

Inspections are performed by NRC resident inspectors assigned to each plant and specialist inspectors from the Region I Office in King of Prussia, Pa.

The annual assessment letter for Indian Point, as well as the meeting notice, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for Indian Point Unit 3 is also available and is updated on a quarterly basis.

The Sept. 22 session will begin at 6 p.m. NRC staff responsible for plant inspection and oversight will participate, including the resident inspectors assigned to the site.

Online registration is required to observe the visual portion of the presentations. After you register, the NRC will send a confirmation e-mail with details for joining the meeting. To hear the presentation, those interested must call in, as audio will not be available via the platform used to present the slides.