NRC staff to discuss Monticello plant's safety performance

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff is holding a public meeting tomorrow with representatives of Northern States Power Company of Minnesota to discuss the agency’s assessment of last year's safety performance at the Monticello Nuclear Power Plant.

The meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at Monticello Senior High School, 5225 School Blvd., in Monticello. During the meetings, the NRC will present its assessment of the plant’s 2014 performance, talk about agency activities and respond to comments and questions from the public.

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to evaluate nuclear plant performance. The colors change from green, white, yellow and red to correspond with the safety implication of any particular issue.

The NRC Region III office sent an assessment letter and deviation memo to plant officials addressing the plant's 2014 performance. The two documents will serve as the basis for tomorrow’s discussion and public meeting.

Overall, the NRC found that the Monticello facility, located about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis, operated safely last year. The staff at NRC decided recent improvements in Monticello’s performance do not warrant moving the facility to the category of plants with systemic performance issues.

The most current performance information for Monticello is available on the NRC's website.