No: III-16-004 April 7, 2016

CONTACT: Viktoria Mitlyng 630-829-9662

 Prema Chandrathil 630-829-9663

NRC to Hold Open House to Discuss Agency’s Assessment of 

Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will hold a public open house on April 14, to discuss the 

agency’s annual review of safety performance at the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant. The plant is 

operated by NextEra Energy Duane Arnold LLC, and is located in Palo, Iowa, about eight miles 

northwest of Cedar Rapids.

Those who attend the open house will have an opportunity to ask questions and have 

discussions directly with NRC staff members about the plant’s 2015 performance and the agency’s 

oversight of the facility. The open house, which will also include informational posters, is scheduled for 

5-7 p.m. at the Palo Community Center, 2800 Hollenbeck Rd., in Palo.

“NRC inspectors who work at the plant and NRC staff from our regional office in Lisle, Ill., are 

looking forward to speaking with members of the public about the performance of the Duane Arnold 

plant and other topics related to nuclear safety that are of interest to the community,” said NRC Region 

III Administrator Cynthia D. Pederson. “We hold such meetings near the plant every year to share 

information about the wide range of activities we conduct to ensure the plant operates safely and foster 

an open dialogue with interested members of the public.”

Overall, the Duane Arnold facility operated safely in 2015. All performance indicators were 

green or low safety significance; however the unit was in Column 2 for all of 2015. This was due to a 

white or low to moderate finding related to inadequate quality controls during the application of 

coatings to the torus. After conducting a follow-up inspection, the NRC found the plant had addressed 

the issue and placed the plant back in Column 1 at the beginning of 2016. The torus is a ring-shaped 

structure that wraps around the base of the reactor and is part of containment.

NRC inspectors also identified issues in the areas of human performance. Specifically NRC 

inspectors found plant workers had not consistently used established plant processes when correcting 

issues. Corrective actions were taken, and by the end of 2015 NRC inspectors determined the plant 

actions appeared to be effective and sustainable.

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. The NRC’s action matrix reflects overall plant performance and 

agency response. There are five columns in the matrix with Column 1 requiring a baseline level of 
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inspections. A move to the other columns results in an increased level of NRC oversight and 

inspections.

This year Duane Arnold will continue to receive the detailed inspection regime used by the 

NRC for all plants. Routine 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.

The annual assessment letter sent from the NRC Region III office to the company addresses the 

performance of the plant during 2015 and is available on the NRC website. The most current 

performance information for Duane Arnold is available on the NRC website.