NRC to host Maryland forum on Calvert Cliffs plant's safety review

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) will hold an open house on April 16 in Prince Frederick, Maryland, to review the agency’s annual safety-performance evaluation of the Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant, near Lusby, in Calvert County.

The 5-6:30 p.m. open house will be held at the Springhill Suites Hotel, located at 75 Sherry Lane in Prince Frederick. NRC inspectors will be available to discuss both the plant's performance in 2014 and the agency’s oversight plans for 2015.


Through the use of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process, the agency rates plant performance with color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators. These statistical measurements of plant performance allow the NRC to implement additional oversight if needed.


At the end of 2014, Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 did not have any inspection findings or performance indicators that were rated lower than “green” (very low safety significance). The power plant’s Unit 2, however, moved into a “white” category (low to moderate safety significance) for failing to maintain an adequate standard emergency action level scheme because of inaccurate effluent radiation monitor thresholds. The NRC will perform an additional inspection at Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 to address any more underlying issues and perform any more necessary corrective actions.

“Our process called for the stepped-up scrutiny at Calvert Cliffs Unit 2 in response to the ‘white’ inspection finding. We have now performed an inspection to ensure that the company appropriately evaluated the underlying issues and put in place changes that can prevent a recurrence. Our review found the company’s actions to be satisfactory,” NRC Region I Administrator Dan Dorman said. “More broadly, our annual assessments serve to help us focus our inspection resources on those areas where attention is most needed.”