Press Release-III-10-013, NRC Open House May 4 to Discuss Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant Performance and Other Issues

Press Release-III-10-013: NRC Open House May 4 to Discuss Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant Performance and Other Issues

ML101440338
Person / Time
Site:	Duane Arnold
Issue date:	04/26/2010
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-10-013
Download: ML101440338 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 No. III-10-013 April 26, 2010 Contacts: E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 Web site: www.nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 NRC OPEN HOUSE MAY 4 TO DISCUSS DUANE ARNOLD NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE AND OTHER ISSUES The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house for Tuesday, May 4, to discuss with local residents NRC activities and nuclear power issues, and answer questions about the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant.

The plant is operated by NextEra Energy and is located in Palo, Iowa, roughly 10 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids. The open house is informal and will begin at 5 p.m. CDT at the Hiawatha Community Center, 101 Emmons St., in Hiawatha.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Duane Arnold plant and the nations other commercial nuclear power facilities, said NRC Region III Administrator Mark Satorius. This meeting allows us to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with members of the local community. The goal of this meeting is to explain how the NRC works and answer questions from residents about nuclear regulation.

A letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials addressed the performance of the plant during 2009 and will serve as the basis for the discussion. It is available on the NRC Web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/duan_2009q4.pdf.

The NRCs assessment concluded Duane Arnold operated safely during 2009. The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess nuclear plant performance. The colors start with green and then increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.

NRC inspectors identified one white finding of low to moderate safety significance in 2009. The finding involved an emergency diesel generator that automatically shut down while undergoing routine testing. Emergency diesel generators are designed to provide power to safety related equipment if there is a loss of off-site power. The plant has two emergency diesel generators. The NRC conducted a supplemental inspection to ensure the cause of the problem was understood and that the corrective actions taken would prevent the problem from recurring.

No significant findings were identified.

The NRC will conduct the normal level of detailed inspections during the upcoming year.

Inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant, and inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are radiation protection, equipment design, and the independent spent fuel storage installation.

Current performance information for Duane Arnold is available on the NRC Web site at:

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DUAN/duan_chart.html.

NRC news releases are available through a free list serve subscription at the following Web address:

http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html . The NRC homepage at www.nrc.gov also offers a SUBSCRIBE link. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web site.