NRC to answer questions at expo on Clinton nuclear plant performance review

Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau's Business Expo at Clinton High School, 1200 Highway 54, in Clinton, Illinois.

The NRC said in a statement that the facility operated in a safe manner throughout 2015. However, the station was under Column 2 of the commission’s action matrix. The action matrix determines the level of regulatory oversight a nuclear facility needs based on its operational and safety inspections. The most severe category is Column 5, which indicates that a plant is not suitable to be operating in the U.S.

The NRC said the Clinton plant was placed in Column 2 after inspections led to a rating higher than the green color level for security and a white color rating in relation to a safety-pump oversight problem after a modification. The NRC uses a color system to indicate severity of safety and operational concerns. Green is indicative of few, if any, concerns, while the red color finding is the most severe a plant can have. The white color rating is the next step up from a green finding.

“This is the second year we are reaching out to the local community by participating in the expo,"  NRC Region III Administrator Cynthia Pederson said. "We see it as a great opportunity to engage a large number of local citizens who live near the plant and talk with them about what the NRC does. The resident inspectors stationed at the plant and other members of the NRC staff are looking forward to joining this community event to answer questions about the plant's performance and NRC oversight.”