No. III-08-016 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 April 24, 2008 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT 

FOR DRESDEN NUCLEAR POWER PLANT UNIT 2 AND 3

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Exelon 

Generation Co. Wednesday, April 30, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance 

for last year at the Dresden Nuclear Power Plant. The plant has two reactor units near Morris, Ill. 

A third reactor was shutdown in 1978 and is in decommissioning status. 

 The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. CDT at 

the Grundy County Administration Center, 1320 Union Street, Morris. The NRC staff will 

present the results of the assessment, talk about the NRC and its range of activities, and be 

available to respond to questions or comments from the public 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 allows us to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with the 

company and with local officials and area residents. Our goal is to explain how the NRC works 

and make sure as much information as possible is available on 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_2007q4.pdf. 

 The NRC’s assessment concluded Dresden Units 2 and 3 operated safely during the 

period. As a result of this performance, the NRC will conduct normal, baseline level of 

inspections during the upcoming year. 

 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 2007 were 

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determined to be “green,” with the exception of one performance indicator for Unit 2. 

Performance indicators are a statistical measurement of plant and equipment performance. 

 Unit 2’s performance indicator remained “white” for the first half of the 2007 as a result 

of several automatic reactor shutdowns in 2006 into 2007. A white performance indicator is one 

of low to moderate safety significance. The NRC conducted supplemental inspections to ensure 

corrective actions were taken for the performance indicator problems. No significant findings 

were identified. 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., and the agency’s 

headquarters in Rockville, Md. Among the areas of plant operations to be inspected this year by 

NRC specialists are problem identification and resolution, emergency preparedness, and 

engineering modifications. 

 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 (Unit 2) and 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES3/dres3_chart.html (Unit 3). 

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