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-13-007

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

March 25, 2013

E-Mail: OPA3.Resource@nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 2, 2013, TO DISCUSS PERFORMANCE 

OF PALISADES NUCLEAR POWER STATION

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will hold a public meeting with 

representatives of Entergy Nuclear Operations on April 2 to discuss the agency’s assessment of 

safety performance for the last year at the Palisades Nuclear Plant. The plant is located in Covert, 

Mich., approximately 40 miles west of Kalamazoo.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, is scheduled for 6-8:30 p.m. at the Beach 

Haven Event Center, 104020 M-140 in South Haven. The NRC staff will present the results of 

the annual assessment, talk about the NRC and its range of activities, and be available to respond 

to questions or comments from the public. 

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

other nuclear power facilities,” said Region III Administrator Charles Casto. “This meeting will 

allow us to talk to 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 to ensure improvement efforts are sustained and long-lasting. The reviews showed 

that Palisades continues to operate safely. ” 

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

of the plant during 2012 and will serve as the basis for the discussion. The letter is available on 

the NRC website, along with the most current performance information for Palisades.

Overall, the NRC found that the Palisades facility operated safely in 2012. 

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. Performance indicators are 

statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.

In 2012 the NRC closed three greater-than-green findings for Palisades. Findings remain 

open for a minimum of four quarters. The first was a yellow finding associated with the loss of 
one direct current bus that occurred on Sept. 25, 2011. The second was a white finding 

associated with the failure of a service water pump due to intergranular stress corrosion cracking 

on Aug. 9, 2011. Lastly, a white finding was associated with the turbine-driven auxiliary 

feedwater pump’s failure to run during a surveillance test on May 10, 2011.

The letter also notes that the NRC identified cross-cutting issues in the area of human 

performance specifically in conservative assumptions and observations. Cross-cutting issues are 

issues that cut across multiple areas of plant operation. The NRC understands the plant has taken 

steps to address the issues in both areas. The NRC has noted sustained improvements in the area 

of conservative assumptions and considers the issue to be resolved. However, additional actions 

are still required to resolve the issues in the area of observations. The NRC will continue to 

review this area and expects the plant to discuss their corrective actions during the public 

meeting.

Palisades will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the NRC for 

plants. The NRC will also conduct additional inspections to follow up on corrective actions, the 

sustainability of those actions, and to verify those actions provide reasonable assurance that more 

safety concerns do not develop.

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. 

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