No: 13-073 September 6, 2013

CONTACT: David McIntyre, 301-415-8200 

NRC Issues Mid-Cycle Assessments for Nation’s Nuclear Plants

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued mid-cycle assessment letters to the nation’s 

commercial nuclear power plants regarding their performance through the first half of 2013. The midcycle assessment period concluded on June 30, with 92 of 102 plants in the two highest performance 

categories.

“These periodic assessments are part of our efforts to ensure the appropriate regulatory 

oversight of nuclear power plants and to keep the public informed about our safety oversight activities,” 

said Ho Nieh, director of the Division of Inspection and Regional Support in the Office of Nuclear 

Reactor Regulation. 

Of the 92 highest-performing reactors, 75 fully met all safety and security performance 

objectives and were inspected by the NRC using the normal inspection program. Seventeen reactors 

were assessed as needing to resolve one or two items of low safety significance. For this performance 

level, regulatory oversight includes additional inspection and attention to follow up on corrective 

actions. 

These plants requiring additional inspection are: Beaver Valley 1 and 2 (Pa.); Browns Ferry 3 

(Ala.); Davis Besse (Ohio); Dresden 2 and 3 (Ill.); Fermi 2 (Mich.); FitzPatrick (N.Y.); Grand Gulf 

(Miss.); LaSalle 2 (Ill.); Nine Mile Point 1 (N.Y.); Point Beach 2 (Wis.); Prairie Island 1 and 2 (Minn.); 

Susquehanna 2 (Pa.); Three Mile Island 1 (Pa.); and Turkey Point 3 (Fla.). Beaver Valley 1 and 2 and 

Fermi 2 have resolved their issues since the reporting period ended and have transitioned to the highest 

performing level.

Eight nuclear reactors were in the third performance category with a degraded level of 

performance. For this category, regulatory oversight includes more NRC inspections, senior 

management attention and oversight focused on the cause of the degraded performance. These plants 

were Browns Ferry 2 (Ala.); Monticello (Minn.); Perry 1 (Ohio); Point Beach 1 (Wis.); Sequoyah 1 

and 2 (Tenn.); Watts Bar 1 (Tenn.); and Wolf Creek (Kan.). Perry 1 and Wolf Creek resolved all the 

outstanding issues and have since transitioned to the highest performance level. 

One reactor, Browns Ferry 1 in Alabama, is in the fourth performance category and requires 

increased oversight because of a safety finding of high significance. Increased oversight for this 

category includes additional inspections to confirm the plant’s performance issues are being addressed. 
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Fort Calhoun plant in Nebraska is in an extended shutdown with significant performance issues 

and is currently under a special NRC oversight program distinct from the normal performance levels. 

Therefore, the plant will not receive a mid-cycle assessment letter.

The Crystal River 3 and Kewaunee nuclear plants entered decommissioning during the first half 

of this year and are no longer considered operating reactors, so they did not receive mid-cycle 

assessments. 

Near the end of this reporting period, Southern California Edison announced that it would 

decommission the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Units 1 and 2 in California. The plant began 

transitioning to the decommissioning process in July, so it did receive a mid-cycle assessment for the 

period ending June 30. 

The NRC routinely updates information on each plant’s current performance and posts the latest 

information as it becomes available to the action matrix summary. Every six months each plant receives 

either a mid-cycle or annual assessment letter along with an NRC inspection plan. These letters are 

available through the NRC’s webpage on the Reactor Oversight Process. Annual construction 

assessments for new reactors at the Vogtle and Summer sites and at Watts Bar 2 are also on the NRC 

website.