NRC: Safety incidents down at nuclear plants in 2014

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission recently reported that there were fewer safety and security incidents at U.S. nuclear power plants that prompted investigations in 2014.

Records indicate that the NRC responded to nine “near-misses” in 2014, compared with 10 in 2013 and 14 in 2012. Near-misses occur when the risk of damage to the reactor core has increased by at least 10 times.

2014 holds the record for the lowest severity in near-misses and the fewest number of near misses since the NRC began keeping such records.

Looking at the broader picture, tthere have been fewer near-misses in recent years, and the severity of the near-misses has declined. This might be attributable to NRC's influence on the industry, through mandatory maintenance and safety checks at power plants.