
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 28, 1990                   TAG: 9006280077
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B5   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ROCKVILLE                                 LENGTH: Short

SURRY N-PLANT TAKEN FROM WATCH LIST

ROCKVILLE - The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday it has removed Virginia Power's Surry nuclear plant from its list of problem facilities that require special scrutiny.

The plant had been on the NRC's "watch list" since last June of commercial nuclear reactors that had a pattern of safety and operating problems.

In a letter to Virginia Power, senior NRC staff members said they found "sustained improvement" at Surry and were removing it from the list.

"We're pleased to get off the list," said William L. Stewart, the utility's senior vice president for nuclear operations. "We deserve to get off that list. The units are running well."

The NRC letter said operations and physical conditions of the Surry plant have improved. Workers are making fewer errors, and outages have been reduced, the letter said.

"Overall, the station performance continues on an upward trend," the NRC wrote.

"As a result, we have reasonable confidence that the improvements will continue and that Surry no longer warrants increased NRC-wide attention."

The letter said that in the areas of maintenance and procedures, Surry's rate of improvement lagged behind overall improvement at the plant. Those areas need continued attention by management, the NRC said.

The NRC fined Virginia Power $800,000 for a series of safety violations, maintenance problems and design flaws at Surry in 1988 and 1989.

by CNB