On-site inspectors from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that Dresden Generating Station operated safely during 2020, according to a news release from the NRC.
“The NRC concluded that overall performance at your facility preserved public health and safety,” according to an NRC letter on Dresden’s performance. For “the most recent quarter,” Dresden was rated in the NRC’s “highest performance category” because findings during inspections had low safety significance, according to the letter.
NRC staff will discuss the agency’s annual assessment of the safety performance of the Dresden and Quad Cities nuclear power plants during a virtual public meeting scheduled for June 29. The two plants are located in Illinois and operated by Exelon Generation.
The meeting will begin at 5 p.m. Participants will be able to virtually attend the annual assessment meeting. Additional details on participation and system requirements are available in the meeting notice on the nrc.gov website.
NRC staff responsible for plant inspection and oversight will participate in the discussion, including the resident inspectors who are based full time at the sites. Attendees will be able to view slides, ask questions and discuss concerns directly with the NRC inspectors.
The Dresden and Quad Cities plants operated safely during 2020. At the conclusion of the year, all inspection findings and performance indicators for the plants were green or of very low safety significance. As a result, the plants in 2021 will receive the normal level of oversight, which entails thousands of inspection hours each year.
The NRC reactor oversight process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight.
Inspections are performed by two NRC resident inspectors assigned to each plant and specialist inspectors from the Region III Office in Lisle.
The annual assessment letters for Dresden and Quad Cities are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for the plants also is available and is updated quarterly.