On March 3, 2017, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced that the agency has issued annual letters to the nation’s 99 commercial nuclear power plants operating in 2016 regarding their performance throughout the year. All but three were in the two highest performance categories.
Overview
Of the 96 highest-performing reactors, 83 fully met all safety and security performance objectives and were inspected by the NRC using the normal “baseline” inspection program.
Thirteen reactors were assessed as needing to resolve one or two items of low safety significance. For this performance level, regulatory oversight includes additional inspection and follow- up of corrective actions. Plants in this level include: Davis Besse (Ohio); Diablo Canyon 2 (California); Dresden 3 (Illinois); Ginna (New York); Grand Gulf (Mississippi); Hope Creek 1 (New Jersey); Monticello (Minnesota); Oyster Creek (New Jersey); Salem 2 (New Jersey); South Texas Project 1 and 2 (Texas); and, Vogtle 1 and 2 (Georgia). Oyster Creek, as well as Vogtle 1 and 2, have resolved their identified issues since the reporting period ended and have transitioned to the highest performing level.
There were no reactors in the third performance category with a degraded level of performance.
Three reactors are in the fourth performance category. Arkansas Nuclear One 1 and 2 require increased oversight because of two safety findings of substantial significance. Pilgrim (Massachusetts) is in the fourth performance category because of long-standing issues of low-to-moderate safety significance. Reactors in this category receive additional inspections to confirm the performance issues are being addressed.
Later this spring and summer, the NRC will host a public meeting or other event for each plant to discuss the details of the annual assessment results. Details for each event will be announced separately. In addition to the annual assessment letters, plants also receive an NRC inspection plan for the coming year.
Background
“These assessment letters are the result of a holistic review of operating performance at each domestic power reactor facility,” said Bill Dean, Director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation. “In addition to inspecting U.S. nuclear plants to verify that they are operating safely, the NRC continuously assesses their performance. The letters help our stakeholders understand our plant performance assessments and how we address any identified performance deficiencies.”
Information on the NRC’s oversight of commercial nuclear power plants is available through the NRC’s webpage on the Reactor Oversight Process. The NRC routinely updates information on each plant’s current performance and posts the latest information as it becomes available to the action matrix summary.
For additional information, please contact David McIntyre of the NRC at (301) 415-8200.