PLYMOUTH – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is ratcheting up its level of scrutiny of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant after the facility’s performance indicator was downgraded for a second time this year.
The NRC will begin a team inspection of the Plymouth plant Monday and eight inspectors will be performing evaluations in several key areas.
They will review an evaluation performed by Entergy, the plant’s owner and operator, looking at the problems that triggered the indicator changes.
Inspectors will also delve into the fixes put in place by Entergy to prevent the issues from happening again.
The team will also assess whether there were any safety culture weaknesses which may have played a role in the performance issues.
Entergy will be briefed by the inspectors after the evaluations are complete and an inspection report will be issued within 45 days.
The NRC plans to hold a public meeting, along with Entergy, after the inspections are wrapped up.
The meeting would likely be held in December or January near the plant and the NRC will provide notice on the date, time and location for the public session.
