Grand Gulf Earns Top Safety Ratings
Date:
June 1, 2009
For Release:
Immediately
Contact:
Ann Becker
601-368-5014 (office)
601-497-4979 (cell)
abecker@entergy.com
Grand Gulf Earns Top Safety Ratings
Annual assessment confirms company’s commitment to public health and safety.
Port Gibson, Miss. – Officials say that a top safety rating from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission reflects Grand Gulf Nuclear Station’s 24-year history of safe operation.
In an annual assessment, the nuclear site received overall top safety ratings from the commission for its performance during 2008. Results of the review were announced recently at the commission’s public meeting in Port Gibson, where Grand Gulf is located.
“Grand Gulf has been and will continue to be safe and operate in the best interest of the public,” said Randy Douet, vice president of operations for Grand Gulf. “We are pleased that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s report confirms our commitment to a strong safety culture, and we also recognize that safe operation requires constant vigilance and self-critical attitudes.”
Following a color-coded rating system, the commission assessed plant performance at quarterly intervals and rated Grand Gulf’s overall performance “green,” which reflects the highest level of safety.
The assessment measures performance indicators in key areas of plant operation and includes detailed inspection results for reactor safety, radiation safety, emergency preparedness and security. Inspection results are assessed to provide a comprehensive picture of facility performance.
Annually, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission conducts more than 2,000 hours of baseline inspections at Grand Gulf, including daily, unannounced resident inspector activities and periodic regional team inspections.
“For more than two decades, the employees of Grand Gulf have demonstrated the highest standards of safe operations while providing customers with clean, reliable and affordable energy,” Douet said. “Our goal is to continue building on that solid foundation while always striving to improve performance.”
Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $13 billion and approximately 14,300 employees.
Entergy Nuclear’s online address is www.entergy-nuclear.com