No. I-14-019 April 23, 2014 

CONTACT: Diane Screnci, 610-337-5330 

 Neil Sheehan, 610-337-5331 

NRC Schedules Open House For May 1 to Discuss

Performance of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will conduct an open house on Thursday, May 1, to 

discuss the agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, 

which is located in Lusby (Calvert County), Md.

During the open house, scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. at the Springhill Suites hotel, at 75 Sherry 

Lane in Prince Frederick, Md., members of the public will be able to hold one-on-one discussions with 

NRC staff regarding the plant’s performance in 2013, and the agency’s oversight plans for the facility 

this year. The NRC Resident Inspectors assigned to the plant on a full-time basis, as well as their 

supervisor, will be on hand.

Under the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, color-coded inspection findings and performance 

indicators are used to assess plant performance. (Performance indicators are statistical measurements of 

plant and equipment performance which, if exceeded, trigger additional NRC oversight.) The colors 

range from green, connoting very low safety or security significance, to white, yellow or red, for an 

issue of high significance.

Overall, the Calvert Cliffs plant, which is operated by Exelon Generation Co. LLC, performed 

safely during 2013. At the conclusion of last year, as assessed by the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, 

there were no performance indicators for the plant that were other than green (very low risk) and no 

inspection findings that were “greater than green” (that is, none of the findings exceeded very low 

safety significance). As a result, Calvert Cliffs will continue to receive the NRC’s normal level of 

oversight during 2013, barring any changes.

The normal level of oversight consists of a detailed regime entailing thousands of hours of 

inspection. In 2013, the NRC devoted approximately 5,990 hours of inspection at Calvert Cliffs.

“We take very seriously the task of stepping back on a regular basis to size up plant 

performance. These comprehensive evaluations help guide our reviews for the year ahead, though we 

maintain flexibility should conditions change,” NRC Region I Administrator Bill Dean said. “Calvert 
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Cliffs, by virtue of their performance in 2013, will receive our routine – though still substantial –

battery of inspections.”

The NRC issues reports on performance at each plant twice a year: during the mid-cycle, or 

mid-point, of the year, and at the conclusion of the year. Inspection findings and performance indicators 

are also updated on a quarterly basis on the agency’s website. Following the release of the annual 

assessment letters each March, the NRC meets with the public in the vicinity of each plant to discuss 

the results.

Normal inspections are carried out by the two Resident Inspectors assigned to Calvert Cliffs. 

Reviews are also performed at the sites by specialist inspectors assigned to the agency’s Region I 

Office in King of Prussia, Pa. Among the areas to be inspected this year at Calvert Cliffs are emergency 

planning, radiological safety, the dry cask storage of spent nuclear fuel and implementation of an 

industry initiative to monitor the condition of underground piping. In addition, the NRC staff will 

conduct a post-approval site inspection for license renewal. The NRC approved a 20-year license 

extension for the plant in March 2000.

The annual assessment letter for Calvert Cliffs, and the meeting notice for the May 1st open 

house, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information is also available for Calvert 

Cliffs Unit 1 and Calvert Cliffs Unit 2.