Oyster Creek Plant Safety Open House Next Week

The Oyster Creek Nuclear Power Plant's safety performance goes under the microscope one week from tomorrow, during the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual open house and Q&A.

Each year, the NRC holds an open to the public session to inform area residents and local leaders about the latest safety record of the facility.  This session will cover how things have been going after the Japanese nuclear crisis in Japan back in 2011, Hurricane Irene and then Superstorm Sandy.  According to records, the NRC devoted over 65-hundred hours of inspection to the plant in 2012 and there was only one low-level safety alert issued during last October's storm.

Neil Sheehan, a spokesman with the NRC, says "the plant has been doing well for quite some time.  That being said, we are always monitoring the activities closely as well as the safety and stability of the facility.  We will continue to do so."

Overall, Oyster Creek, which is a single boiling-water reactor, operated safely during 2012. At the end of the fourth quarter of 2012, the plant did not have any inspection findings that were greater than green (rising to the level requiring additional NRC oversight) or any performance indicators that were other than green (exceeding the threshold for the indicator and requiring additional NRC oversight). As a result, Oyster Creek will continue to receive the NRC's normal level of oversight during 2013. Plants that meet criteria set out by the NRC receive the normal level of oversight, which still consists of a detailed regime involving thousands of hours of inspection.

The open house is scheduled for Wednesday, May 15th from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Holiday Inn at 151 Route 72 West in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.  It will provide an opportunity for attendees to hold one-on-one discussions with NRC staff members about the plant's 2012 performance and the agency's oversight of the facility. Then, beginning at 7 p.m. at the same location, the NRC staff will hold a formal question-and-answer session regarding plant performance and oversight topics.

Inspection findings and performance indicators are also updated on the NRC's web site at nrc.gov.