NRC places all but 3 U.S. nuclear reactors in top two performance tiers

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) recently released the results of its 2015 performance assessments of the nation's 99 commercial nuclear reactors currently in operation at 61 plants, only three of which were not in the top two performance categories.

Eighty-five reactors met the highest performance standards, fulfilling all safety and security objectives, and 11 were placed in the second tier, which means they had some issues with low safety significance.

Three reactors were placed in the lowest performance tier out of four tiers: Arkansas Nuclear One Units 1 and 2 had significant safety issues, and Massachusetts’ Pilgrim Plant reactor had long-standing issues with low-to-moderate safety significance.

“These assessment letters are the result of a holistic review of operating performance at each domestic power reactor facility,” Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Director Bill Dean said. “In addition to ensuring that the nation’s nuclear power plants are safe by inspecting them, the NRC continuously assesses performance. The purpose of these assessment letters is to ensure that all of our stakeholders clearly understand the basis for our assessments of plant performance and the actions we are taking to address any identified performance deficiencies.”

The NRC is scheduling public hearings in the communities surrounding each of the plants to discuss the assessments with local residents.