Press Release-III-12-022, NRC Schedules June 21 Open House to Discuss Dresden Nuclear Power Station Performance and NRC Oversight

Press Release-III-12-022: NRC Schedules June 21 Open House to Discuss Dresden Nuclear Power Station Performance and NRC Oversight

ML12166A206
Person / Time
Site:	Dresden
Issue date:	06/14/2012
From:	Prema Chandrathil, Viktoria Mitlyng Office of Public Affairs Region II
To:
Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-12-022
Download: ML12166A206 (2)

Text

NRC NEWS U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION Office of Public Affairs Region III 2443 Warrenville Road Lisle IL 60532 Site: www.nrc.gov Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov No. III-12-022 June 14, 2012

Contact:

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663 NRC SCHEDULES JUNE 21 OPEN HOUSE TO DISCUSS DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER STATION PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Thursday, June 21, in Morris, Ill., to discuss the agencys assessment of safety performance for last year at the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. The plant has two operating units, Units 2 and 3, and is operated by Exelon Generation Co., LLC. Dresden Unit 1 has been shut down since 1978 and is in decommissioning status.

The open house is informal and will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CDT at the Grundy County Administration Center, 1320 Union Street, Morris. The plant is located about 60 miles southwest of Chicago.

The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Dresden plant and the nations other nuclear power facilities, said Regional Administrator for NRC Region III Charles Casto.

This meeting will allow us to speak directly with the local community about the plants performance last year and the NRCs actions to make sure the plant continues to operate safely.

Those actions include additional inspections in response to the events at the Fukushima Daiichi facilities to evaluate the safety of US nuclear plants. The reviews showed that Dresden and other US plants continue to operate safely.

A letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials addressed the performance of the plant during 2011 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/dres_2011q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Dresden facility operated safely in 2011.

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. All performance indicators and inspection findings for Dresden during 2011 were determined to be green.

Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.

Dresden will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime required for plants that are operating well and require no additional oversight.

Inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, Ill., and the agencys headquarters in Rockville, Md.

In addition to the day-to-day inspections performed by the resident inspectors, specific areas of plant operations to be inspected include radiation protection, refueling activities, spent reactor fuel storage, and emergency preparedness.

The most current performance information for Dresden is available on the NRC web site at: (Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES2/dres2_chart.html and (Unit 3) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES3/dres3_chart.html.

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