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-06-013 April 5, 2006

CONTACT: Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663 

Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662 

NRC TO DISCUSS 2005 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT

FOR DUANE ARNOLD NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will meet with representatives of FPL Energy on

Tuesday, April 11, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at the

company’s Duane Arnold Energy Center. The plant is located at Palo, Iowa.

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

Community Center, 1006 1st Street, in 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 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_2005q4.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 2005 were

determined to be “green.” As a result of this performance, the NRC will conduct the normal, baseline

level of inspections during the upcoming year.

However, the NRC identified a weakness in the area of human performance, involving

inadequate use and adherence to plant procedures. The NRC asked the utility to discuss its corrective

actions to address this issue during the meeting.
The NRC will conduct an inspection in 2006 to assess the utility’s progress in improving

human performance at the plant.

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

the licensed operator requalification program, emergency preparedness, access control to radiologically

significant areas, and radioactive material processing and transportation.

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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