Lusby, MD – It appears having some added oversight prompted by operation issues has paid off for Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby.

In 2014 the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) decided to increase its oversight of the plant’s second reactor. The added oversight was prompted by a white—or low to moderate—inspection finding. The concerns were raised due to a radiation monitor that wasn’t providing accurate readings. Plant officials told The BayNet late last summer that the monitor problems had been identified and corrected. The plant is owned and operated by Exelon Generation Company LLC.

“The NRC determined that overall, Calvert Cliffs’ units 1 and 2 operated in a manner that preserved the public health and safety and met all cornerstone objectives,” stated NRC Division of Reactor Projects Director Michael L. Scott.  “The NRC determined the performance at Calvert Cliffs’ units 1 and 2 during the most recent quarter was within the License Response Column of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process Action Matrix because all inspection findings had very low safety significance.”

The NRC conducted a public open house Thursday, April 21 in Prince Frederick to discuss the results of the local plant’s latest safety performance review, which was completed in February.

“The NRC’s normal level of oversight at each U.S. nuclear power plant involves thousands of hours of inspection,” a commission press release stated. “In 2015, the agency devoted approximately 6,645 hours of review at Calvert Cliffs.”

“In the case of Calvert Cliffs, the plant’s current performance qualifies for our normal level of oversight,” stated NRC Acting Region 1 Administrator David Lew.

Performance reports on nuclear power plants are issued twice a year. This year the NRC will be inspecting several Calvert Cliffs’ components, including radiological safety, fire protection and emergency planning. Commission officials are reported they will perform an inspection of Calvert Cliffs’ Independent Spent Fuel Storage Installation (ISFSI) and the facility’s implementation of NRC “post-Fukushima” requirements. The latter addresses issues posed by the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which was triggered by an earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Information about the NRC’s assessments of Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant is available on the commission’s web site at www.nrc.gov

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com