NRC SAYS PALISADES PERFORMANCE HAS IMPROVED

BUT STILL NEEDS HEIGHTENED OVERSIGHT

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission concluded that the Palisades nuclear plant has 

adequately addressed last year’s safety problems but still requires additional oversight. The plant is 

owned by Entergy Nuclear Operations and is located in Covert, Mich., approximately 40 miles west 

of Kalamazoo.

The NRC issued a report today on a follow-up inspection conducted by nine NRC inspectors 

from Sept. 17-28, 2012 to evaluate the plant’s resolution of safety issues identified in 2011. These 

issues resulted in the plant moving from Column I of the NRC’s performance Action Matrix, which 

involves the normal level of NRC inspections, to Column III, where plants get an increased level of 

inspection. As part of this increased oversight, NRC inspectors also conducted an independent 

review of the plant’s safety culture, which included interviews with over 100 employees.

NRC inspectors concluded that the plant has taken appropriate actions to address last year’s 

findings and that the plant’s safety culture was adequate and improving. As a result, the plant is 

being moved back to Column I, which would normally indicate that the plant would no longer get 

increased oversight by the agency.

However, the NRC has decided to deviate from its normal process to conduct over 1000 

additional hours of inspections at the plant in 2013 in order to ensure:

1. The remaining corrective actions to improve the organization and strengthen the safety 

culture at the site are properly implemented and can be sustained.

2. The leaks that occurred at the plant in 2012 -- and the plant’s proposed corrective actions 

are well understood so that these issues will not lead to additional safety concerns.

In addition, the Region III staff plans to conduct enhanced communication with the 

communities in southwest Michigan regarding the status of NRC’s oversight, safety improvements 

at the plant, and the resolution of technical issues. This will be accomplished through public 

meetings, webinars and other means as called for in order to be responsive to the communities of 

interest.

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-12-041

Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng (630) 829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil (630) 829-9663

November 9, 2012

E-Mail: OPA3 @nrc.gov 
“While the licensee has demonstrated satisfactory resolution of the most significant risk 

issues and we have no immediate safety concerns, other issues, such as the leaks that came to light 

during this year, continue to occur,” said Region III Administrator Charles Casto. “We have chosen 

to deviate from our normal process and continue our inspections at an elevated pace ensuring that 

all issues are resolved. Our inspectors will continue their relentless focus on reactor safety and 

ensuring the protection of the public.”

Copies of the NRC’s inspection report and request for heightened oversight will be available 

through the NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) at the 

NRC website or by contacting the NRC’s Region III office.

###

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.