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-07-010 March 29, 2007

CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2006 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR DUANE ARNOLD ENERGY CENTER

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Florida Power and

Light on Thursday, April 5, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at

the Duane Arnold Energy Center. The plant is located at Palo, Iowa.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Palo

Community Center, 1006 First Street, Palo. The NRC staff will present the results of the assessment

and be available to respond to questions or comments from the public before the close of the meeting. 

The public may also participate in the meeting through a telephone conference call. For

instructions on how to participate, interested persons should contact Bruce Burgess at 630/829-9629.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Duane Arnold 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/duan_2006q4.pdf. 

The NRC’s assessment concluded that the Duane Arnold 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 Duane Arnold during 2006 were

determined to be “green.” 

As a result of this performance, the NRC plans to conduct the normal, baseline level of

inspections during the upcoming year. 
However, the NRC is in the process of reviewing a preliminary “white” inspection finding in

the area of emergency preparedness. The NRC’s final determination of the safety significance of this

finding may result in additional inspections.

On May 1, 2006, the NRC issued two notices of violation to the plant for willful violations of

plant procedures. The utility has taken sufficient corrective action to address these problems.

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., and the agency’s headquarters in

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

radioactive material processing and transportation; operation of an independent spent fuel storage

installation; and access control to radiologically significant areas.

Current performance information for Duane Arnold is available on the NRC’s web site at: 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DUAN/duan_chart.html.

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