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-12-014

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Jan Strasma (630) 829-9663

April 19, 2012

E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE FOR APRIL 26 TO DISCUSS DUANE ARNOLD 

NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT

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

April 26, to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last year at the Duane 

Arnold nuclear power plant.

The open house is informal and will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. CDT at the Palo City 

Hall/Community Center in the City Council Chambers room, 2800 Hollenbeck Rd., in Palo, 

Iowa. The Duane Arnold Energy Center is operated by NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC, and 

is located in Palo, Iowa, about 8 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Duane Arnold plant and the 

nation’s other nuclear power facilities,” said Acting Regional Administrator for NRC Region III 

Cynthia Pederson. “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 

Duane Arnold 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/duan_2011q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the Duane Arnold facility operated safely in 2011. All 

performance indicators and inspection findings were determined to be “green.” 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. 
Duane Arnold 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. Among the areas of plant 

operations currently being inspected are license renewal, fire protection, emergency preparedness 

and radiation protection.

The most current performance information for Duane Arnold is available on the NRC 

website at: http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/DUAN/duan_chart.html.

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