NRC NEWS

 U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

 2443 Warrenville Road

 Lisle IL 60532

 Web Site: http://www.nrc.gov E-mail: opa3@nrc.gov

No. III-05-019 April 15, 2005

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2004 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR D.C. COOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of American Electric

Power Company on Thursday, April 21, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance last

year at the D.C. Cook Nuclear Power Plant. The plant is located near Bridgman, Mich.

The meeting, which will be open to public observation, is scheduled to begin at

6:00 p.m. at the Lake Charter Township Hall, 3220 Shawnee Road, Bridgman.

Before the meeting is adjourned, NRC staff will be available to answer questions from the

public on the safety performance of the D.C. Cook plant, as well as the role of the NRC in ensuring

safe plant operation.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the D.C. Cook 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.”

The NRC’s assessment concluded that, overall, the D.C. Cook 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. 

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/cook_2004q4.pdf.

During 2004, D.C. Cook had one “white” inspection finding, which affected Units 1 and 2, and

two “white” performance indicators for Unit 2. The “white” inspection finding was issued for the

failure to properly prepare a package of radioactive material for shipment. The “white” performance

indicators had to do with the number of times the plant had to shut down unexpectedly and with the

number of times the plant lost its capability for normal heat removal.
2

Routine inspections are performed by two NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant and

by inspection specialists from the Region III Office in Lisle, IL, and the agency’s headquarters in

Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are

reactor vessel head penetration nozzles, radiological access control, fire protection, and transportation

and processing of radioactive waste.

Current performance information for D.C. Cook is available on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK1/cook1_chart.html and

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK2/cook2_chart.html.

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