SONGS Annual Assessment Report Out, Meeting Set

Vol. 5, Issue 10, March 11-17, 2010

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has produced its annual assessment of the performance of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station and will review that data at a public meeting set for March 24. The assessment-part of the NRC’s regular procedural review process-gave Unit 3 top marks, while Unit 2 received its second-best rating. “Every year the NRC issues end-of cycle assessment letters to all of the [nuclear] plants in the country,’ said Southern California Edison’s Chief Nuclear Officer Ross Ridenoure. “We fully met all objectives for Units 2 and 3, but we’re working to improve our human performance programs.’ The NRC did make clear that it felt that the plant’s actions to address those problems in 2009 were “ineffective.’

“We did make progress in 2009, but not at a pace sufficient to address the NRC’s concerns in the areas of human performance and problem identification and resolution,’ Ridenoure said.

The public meeting will be held at the DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel in Dana Point on March 24 starting at 6 p.m.

-Norb Garrett