The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the 2017 safety performance of the Hatch Nuclear Power Plant during an open house from 4-6 p.m. April 24 in Room 171 of the Southeastern Technical College, 3001 East First St., Vidalia.

The two-unit Hatch plant is located near Baxley, about 20 miles south of Vidalia, and is operated by Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

NRC employees responsible for plant inspections, including the resident inspectors based full-time at the site, will be available to discuss its performance.

The NRC concluded that the Hatch plant operated safely during 2017. At the end of the year, all inspection findings and performance indicators were green, or of low safety significance. As a result, Hatch remains under the NRC’s normal level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight.

Inspections are performed by two NRC resident inspectors and inspection specialists from the NRC Region II office in Atlanta.

The annual assessment letter for the Hatch plant, as well as the notice for the open house, are available at www.nrc.gov/. Current performance information for Hatch Unit 1 and Unit 2 is also available.