ML26075A012
| ML26075A012 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Palisades, Watts Bar, Hope Creek, Waterford, South Texas  |
| Issue date: | 03/13/2026 |
| From: | Office of Public Affairs |
| To: | |
| References | |
| Download: ML26075A012 (0) | |
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The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission was created as an expert, technical agency to protect public health, safety, and security, and regulate the civilian use of nuclear materials, including enabling the deployment of nuclear power for the benefit of society. Among other responsibilities, the agency issues licenses, conducts inspections, initiates and enforces regulations, and plans for incident response. The NRC is collaborating with interagency partners to implement reforms outlined in new Executive Orders and the ADVANCE Act to streamline agency activities and enhance efficiency.
No: 26-032 March 13, 2026 CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200 NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nations Nuclear Plants ROCKVILLE, Md. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued annual letters to the nations 95 operating commercial nuclear reactors, regarding their performance in 2025.
The 95 reactors currently in the agencys Reactor Oversight Process include Palisades in Michigan, which returned to operational status last year but has yet to restart. Ninety reactors reached the highest performance category in safety and security. These include the Waterford plant in Louisiana, which resolved issues of low safety significance during the year. Those reactors remain under the NRCs baseline inspection program, involving thousands of inspection hours for each reactor.
Five reactors were in the second performance category for 2025, as they need 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 category are Hope Creek (New Jersey), South Texas Project Unit 2 (Texas), V.C. Summer (South Carolina), and Watts Bar 1 and 2 (Tennessee).
There were no reactors in the third or fourth performance categories, which trigger additional NRC oversight, or the fifth performance category, which requires a reactor to shut down to address performance problems.
Later this spring and summer, NRC will host a public meeting or other event for each plant to discuss the details of the annual assessment results. Separate announcements will be issued for public assessment meetings. In addition to the annual assessment letters, plants also receive an NRC inspection plan for the coming year.
The NRCs website outlines oversight of commercial nuclear power on the Reactor Oversight Process page. The NRC routinely updates each plants current performance and posts the latest information as it becomes available to the action matrix summary. Assessment letters are posted on our website. (click on 2025006 for each plant except Palisades, which is under 2025007).
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