Press Release-III-17-004, NRC to Conduct Open House to Discuss 2016 Performance of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

Press Release-III-17-004: NRC to Conduct Open House to Discuss 2016 Performance of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

ML17096A206
Person / Time
Site:	Duane Arnold
Issue date:	04/05/2017
From:	Office of Public Affairs Region II
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Category:Press Release
References
Press Release-III-17-004
Download: ML17096A206 (1)

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No: III-17-00 4 April 5, 2017 CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng 630

-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil 630

-829-9663 NRC to Conduct Open House to Discuss 2016 Performance of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will be available to discuss the 2016 safety performance of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant operated by NextEra Energy Duane Arnold LLC, during an open house planned for April 12, in Palo, Iowa. The plant is also located in Palo which is eight miles northwest of Cedar Rapids.

The open house will run from 5

-6:30 p.m., CDT at the Palo Community Center, 2800 Hollenbeck Rd., in Palo. On hand to discuss the plant's performance and the NRC's oversight of the facility will be agency employees responsible for inspections of the plant, including the resident inspectors based at the site on a full

-time basis. Overall, the Duane Arnold plant operated safely during 2016. As of the end of last year, the plant had no inspection findings or performance indicators outside the normal band. As a result, it is currently under the NRC's baseline level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.

"Our annual assessments of each plant provide a valuable, big

-picture view of a plant's safety performance and help guide our reviews going forward," NRC Region III Administrator Cynthia D.

Pederson said. "Based on our assessments of Duane Arnold throughout 2016, the appropriate level of oversight for this year will be the normal level of scrutiny, barring any changes in performance."

Under the NRC's Reactor Oversight Process, the agency gauges plant performance through the use of color

-coded inspection findings and performance indicators, which are statistical measurements of plant performance that can trigger additional oversight if exceeded. Any inspection findings or performance indicators that are greater than green (very low safety significance) trigger increased NRC oversight.

Day-to-day inspections are performed by two resident inspectors assigned to the plant. Reviews are also carried out at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency's Region III office in Lisle, Ill.

The annual assessment letter for Duane Arnold, as well as the notice for the meeting, are available on the NRC website. Current plant performance information is also available.