NRC: News Release - Region III - 2006-017 - NRC to Discuss 2005 Performance Assessment for Dresden Nuclear Power Plant

				Search Options
Index \| Site Map \| FAQ \| Facility Info \| Reading Rm \| New \| Help \| Glossary \| Contact Us

NRC NEWS
U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs, Region III
2443 Warrenville Road, Lisle, IL 60532
www.nrc.gov

No. III-06-017		April 19, 2006
CONTACT:	Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662	E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov
NRC TO DISCUSS 2005 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT FOR DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Printable Version
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Exelon Generation Co. on Wednesday, April 26, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located near Morris, Ill. The meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Grundy County Administration Center, 1320 Union Street, in Morris. The NRC will respond to questions or comments before the close of the meeting "The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Dresden plant and the nation’s other commercial nuclear power facilities," NRC Region III Administrator James Caldwell said. "This meeting will provide an opportunity for a discussion of our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and with local officials and residents who live near the plant. Our goal is to explain the NRC oversight process and make as much information as possible available to the public regarding our regulation of these facilities." A letter sent from the NRC Region III Office to plant officials addresses the performance of the plant during the period and will serve as the basis for the meeting discussion. It is available on the NRC web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/dres_2005q4.pdf . The NRC’s assessment concluded that the Dresden plant operated safely during the period. 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 of the inspection findings and performance indicators for Dresden during 2005 were determined to be "green." As a result of this performance, the NRC will conduct the normal, baseline level of inspections during the upcoming year. Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and by 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 access control to radiologically significant areas, licensed operator qualification program, and radioactive material processing and transportation. In addition, the NRC plans to conduct an inspection to review the activities related to the planned steam dryer replacement on Unit 3. The same inspection is planned for Unit 2 in 2007. NRC resident inspectors will also continue to monitor the plant’s corrective actions associated with the onsite tritium leak that occurred in February. Current performance information for Dresden is available on the NRC’s web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES2/dres2_chart.html and http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES3/dres3_chart.html.
NRC news releases are available through a free listserv subscription at the following Web address: http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/listserver.html. The NRC Home Page at www.nrc.gov also offers a Subscribe to News link in the News & Information menu. E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are posted to NRC's Web Site.