A virtual meeting scheduled for next week by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will include an update on the condition of the Callaway Nuclear Plant near Fulton.
The meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. May 17 over Microsoft Team. A recording will be available on the NRC website afterward. To hear the audio presentation, those interested should call 301-576-2978, password 441 054 054#.
NRC staff responsible for plant inspection and oversight will make a brief presentation on the agency's oversight process and then answer questions about any of the 12 plants within the region.
Along with the Callaway Nuclear Plant, the region includes Arkansas Nuclear One in Russellville, Arkansas; Comanche Peak in Glen Rose, Texas; Cooper Nuclear Station in Brownville, Nebraska; Columbia Generating Station, located near Richland, Washington; Diablo Canyon in San Luis Obispo, California; Grand Gulf, in Port Gibson, Mississippi; Palo Verde, in Wintersburg, Arizona; River Bend, in St. Francisville, Louisiana; South Texas Project, in Bay City, Texas; Waterford, in Killona, Louisiana; and Wolf Creek, located near Burlington, Kansas.
According to a release, all plants operated safely during 2021.
All of the plants will receive the normal level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection each year.
The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, commensurate with the safety significance of the issues involved.
Inspection findings or performance indicators with more than very low safety significance trigger increased NRC oversight. Inspections are performed by at least two NRC resident inspectors assigned to each plant and specialist inspectors from the Region IV office.
The annual assessment letters for each Region IV plant, as well as the meeting notice, are available on the NRC website. Current performance information for the plants is also available and is updated on a quarterly basis.