No. III-10-020 

Contacts: 

Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662 

Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663 

 May 24, 2010 

 E-Mail: opa3@nrc.gov 

Web site: www.nrc.gov

NRC TO DISCUSS 2009 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT 

FOR BYRON NUCLEAR POWER ON JUNE 2 

 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting with representatives 

of Exelon Generation Co. on Wednesday, June 2, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety 

performance for last year at the Byron Nuclear Power Plant. The plant has two reactor units in 

Byron, Ill., located roughly 15 miles southwest of Rockford. 

 The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. CDT at the Byron Station Training Center, 

Room 107, 4450 N. German Church Road, Byron. 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 Byron plant and the nation’s other 

commercial nuclear power facilities,” NRC Region III Administrator Mark Satorius said. “This 

meeting allows us to discuss our annual assessment of safety performance with the company and 

area residents. One of NRC’s main goals is to explain to people in the community how the 

agency regulates nuclear power plants.” 

 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/byro_2009q4.pdf. 

 The NRC found that overall the Byron nuclear plant operated safely and performance at 

both units was at a level that resulted in no additional NRC oversight. The NRC uses colorcoded 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 performance indicators and inspection findings for Byron during 2009 were 

determined to be “green.” Performance indicators are a statistical measurement of plant and 

equipment performance. 

NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Region III 

2443 Warrenville Road 

Lisle IL 60532 
 

 Byron will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for plants 

that require no additional oversight. 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 are radiation protection, fire protection and the independent spent 

fuel storage installation. 

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

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BYRO1/byro1_chart.html (Unit 1) and 

http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/BYRO2/byro2_chart.html (Unit 2). 

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