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-12-019

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

May 24, 2012

E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov 

NRC SCHEDULES OPEN HOUSE FOR MAY 31 TO DISCUSS

D. C. COOK NUCLEAR POWER PLANT PERFORMANCE AND NRC OVERSIGHT

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

May 31, in Bridgman, Mich., to discuss the agency’s assessment of safety performance for last 

year at the D.C. Cook nuclear power plant. 

The open house is informal and will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. EDT at the Lake Charter 

Township Hall, 3220 Shawnee Road, Bridgman. The two-unit D.C. Cook Nuclear Power Station 

is operated by Indiana Michigan Power Company and is located near Bridgman, about 13 miles 

south of Benton Harbor, Mich. 

“The NRC continually reviews the performance of the D.C. Cook 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 D.C. Cook 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/cook_2011q4.pdf.

Overall, the NRC found that the D.C. Cook 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 D. C. Cook during 2010 were determined to be “green.” 

Performance indicators are statistical measurements of plant and equipment performance.
D. C. Cook 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, 

problem identification and resolution, in-service inspection activities for safety systems, fire 

protection, spent reactor fuel storage, and emergency preparedness.

The most current performance information for D. C. Cook is available on the NRC 

website at: (Unit 1) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK1/cook1_chart.html 

and (Unit 2) http://www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/COOK2/cook2_chart.html.

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