NRC DAVIS-BESSE OVERSIGHT PANEL TO HOLD
FIRST MEETING MAY 9 IN OAK HARBOR, OHIO

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight panel, set up to coordinate the agency's activities associated with the corrosion damage to the reactor vessel head at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant, will hold its first meeting with utility officials on Thursday, May 9, in Oak Harbor, Ohio.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission oversight panel, set up to coordinate the agency's activities associated with the corrosion damage to the reactor vessel head at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant, will hold its first meeting with utility officials on Thursday, May 9, in Oak Harbor, Ohio. The meeting, open to the public, will be at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Oak Harbor Junior High School, 315 Church Street in Oak Harbor. The meeting will include time for public comments and questions.

The Davis-Besse plant, operated by FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Company, is located near Oak Harbor. It has been shut down since mid-February for refueling and maintenance. While repairing cracks in control rod tubes which penetrate the reactor vessel head, plant personnel discovered significant corrosion damage to the reactor vessel head.

The purpose of the meeting is to introduce the panel members and to discuss the process to be followed by the panel in its review of the company's response to the corrosion damage and restart of the plant once the damage has been resolved.

The oversight panel includes NRC management personnel and staff from the Region III office in Lisle, Illinois, the NRC Headquarters office in Rockville, Maryland, and the NRC Resident Inspector Office at the Davis-Besse site.

The oversight activities will be conducted under the agency's Inspection Manual Chapter 0350, which establishes the procedures to be followed for the oversight of utility performance for plants that are shut down as a result of significant performance problems or events.

Documents on the Davis-Besse corrosion issue are posted on the NRC's web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/vessel-head-degradation.html

Privacy Policy | Site Disclaimer
Last revised Wednesday, June 25, 2003