No. III-08-014 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 April 11, 2008 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2007 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT 

FOR D.C. COOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of Indiana Michigan 

Power Company Wednesday, April 16, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last 

year at the Cook Nuclear Power Plant. The two-unit plant is located in Bridgman, Mich. 

 The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. EDT at Lake 

Charter Township Hall, 3220 Shawnee Rd. Bridgman. 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 Cook 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/cook_2007q4.pdf. 

 The NRC’s assessment concluded that the 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. 

 All of the inspection findings and all but one performance indicators for Cook during 2007 were 

determined to be “green.” One performance indicator was “yellow,” meaning it had a medium 

significance to safety, during the second and third quarters. The performance indicator was associated 

with testing the station’s alert and notification system sirens. In February of this year, the NRC 

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completed a follow-up inspection which focused on assessing the utility’s understanding of the issue and 

the corrective actions to address it. The inspection did not identify any major findings. As a result of this 

performance, the NRC will conduct the normal, baseline level of inspections for the rest of this 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 emergency 

preparedness, radiation protection, and reactor system operations. 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK1/cook1_chart.html Unit 1 and 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK2/cook2_chart.html Unit 2. 

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