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-12-021

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

June 13, 2012

E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES JUNE 20 OPEN HOUSE TO DISCUSS FERMI

NUCLEAR POWER STATION PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT

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

June 20, in Monroe, Mich., to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last 

year at the Fermi 2 Nuclear Power Station.

The open house is informal and will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. EDT at the Monroe 

County Board of Commissioners’ Chambers County Courthouse, 125 E. Second Street, Monroe. 

The Fermi Nuclear Power Station is operated by Detroit Edison Co. and is about 40 miles 

southwest of Detroit.

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the Fermi 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 Fermi 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/ferm_2011q4.pdf

Overall, the NRC found that the Fermi 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 Fermi during 2011 were determined to be “green.” 

Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.
Fermi 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, plant modifications, 

refueling activities, spent reactor fuel storage, and emergency preparedness.

The most current performance information for Fermi is available on the NRC web site at: 

(Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/FERM2/ferm2_chart.html

###

News releases are available through a free Listserv subscription or by clicking on the EMAIL UPDATES 

link on the NRC homepage (www.nrc.gov). E-mail notifications are sent to subscribers when news releases are 

posted to NRC's website. For the latest news, follow the NRC on www.twitter.com/NRCgov.