NRC NEWS

U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION

Office of Public Affairs Region III

2443 Warrenville Road

Lisle IL 60532

Site: www.nrc.gov

Blog: http://public-blog.nrc-gateway.gov

No. III-12-022

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

June 14, 2012

E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES JUNE 21 OPEN HOUSE TO DISCUSS DRESDEN

NUCLEAR POWER STATION PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will conduct an open house on Thursday, 

June 21, in Morris, Ill., to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at 

the Dresden Nuclear Power Station. The plant has two operating units, Units 2 and 3, and is 

operated by Exelon Generation Co., LLC. Dresden Unit 1 has been shut down since 1978 and is 

in decommissioning status. 

The open house is informal and will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. CDT at the Grundy 

County Administration Center, 1320 Union Street, Morris. The plant is located about 60 miles 

southwest of Chicago.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Dresden plant and the nation’s 

other nuclear power facilities,” said Regional Administrator for NRC Region III Charles Casto. 

“This meeting will allow us to speak directly with the local community about the plant’s 

performance last year and the NRC’s actions to make sure the plant continues to operate safely. 

Those actions include additional inspections in response to the events at the Fukushima Daiichi 

facilities to evaluate the safety of US nuclear plants. The reviews showed that Dresden and other 

US plants continue to operate safely. ” 

A letter sent from the NRC Region III office to plant officials addressed the performance 

of the plant during 2011 and will serve as the basis for the discussion. It is available on the NRC

web site at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/dres_2011q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Dresden facility operated safely in 2011. 

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 performance 

indicators and inspection findings for Dresden during 2011 were determined to be “green.” 

Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.
Dresden will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime required for plants that 

are operating well and require no additional oversight. 

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. 

In addition to the day-to-day inspections performed by the resident inspectors, specific 

areas of plant operations to be inspected include radiation protection, refueling activities, spent 

reactor fuel storage, and emergency preparedness.

The most current performance information for Dresden is available on the NRC web site

at: (Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DRES2/dres2_chart.html and 

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

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