Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release

No: 18-063 December 18, 2018

CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200

NRC Proposes $232,000 Fine to Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is proposing a $232,000 civil penalty to Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation for a Severity Level II violation related to retaliation against a contract employee who reported a safety concern at the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kansas.

The violation of NRC requirements for employee protection is related to the contract employee filing a condition report during Wolf Creek’s 2016 refueling outage, as well as raising concerns directly to plant management. The NRC’s investigation concluded that the plant retaliated against the contract employee with an adverse employment action.

NRC staff met with company representatives on Sept. 10 to discuss the violation in a pre-decisional enforcement conference. Company officials contested the violation while also providing the NRC with information about long-term corrective actions.

The company has 30 days in which to dispute the fine or request involvement of a neutral third- party mediator to resolve the issue.