Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: 25-012 March 13, 2025
NRC Issues Annual Assessments for Nation’s Nuclear Plants
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued annual letters to the nation’s 94 operating commercial nuclear reactors, regarding their performance in 2024.
Of the 94 reactors currently in the agency’s Reactor Oversight Process, 85 reached the highest performance category in safety and security. Those reactors remain under the NRC’s “baseline” inspection program, involving thousands of inspection hours for each reactor.
Nine reactors were in the second performance category for 2024, 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. Plants in this category are Browns Ferry 2 (Alabama); Calvert Cliffs 2 (Maryland); Catawba 2 (South Carolina); Columbia (Washington); Fitzpatrick (New York); Vogtle 3 (Georgia); Susquehanna 1 and 2 (Pennsylvania); and South Texas Project 2 (Texas). Fitzpatrick addressed its issues earlier this year and has returned to the baseline inspection program.
There were no reactors in the third or fourth performance categories, which trigger additional NRC oversight, or the fifth performance category, which requires a reactor to shut down to address its performance problems.
Later this spring and summer, the NRC will host a public meeting or other event for each plant to discuss the details of the annual assessment results. A separate announcement will be issued for each public assessment meeting. In addition to the annual assessment letters, plants also receive an NRC inspection plan for the coming year.
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 on our website. (click on “2024006” for each plant).
