Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 24-016 March 1, 2024
CONTACT: Scott Burnell, 301-415-8200
NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nation’s Nuclear Plants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued annual letters to the nation’s operating commercial nuclear reactors assessing their performance in 2023.
Of the 94 reactors currently in the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process, 88 reached the highest performance category in safety and security. Those reactors (including Vogtle Unit 4, which was authorized for operation last year) remain under the NRC’s “baseline” inspection program, involving thousands of inspection hours for each reactor.
Six reactors were in the second performance category, as they need to resolve one or two items of low safety significance. For this performance level, regulatory oversight includes additional inspection and follow-up of corrective actions. Reactors in this category are Calvert Cliffs Unit 1 (Maryland), Columbia (Washington), River Bend (Louisiana), V.C. Summer (South Carolina); and Watts Bar Units 1 and 2 (Tennessee).
There were no reactors in the third or fourth categories, which trigger additional NRC oversight, or the fifth category, which requires a reactor to shut down to address its performance problems.
Later this spring and summer, the NRC will host public meetings or other events to discuss the details of the plants’ annual assessment results. Separate announcements will be issued for the public assessment meetings.
The NRC’s website outlines oversight of commercial nuclear power on the Reactor Oversight Process page. The NRC routinely updates each plant’s current performance and posts the latest information as it becomes available to the action matrix summary. Assessment letters are posted at https://www.nrc.gov/
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