NRC Begins Special Inspection at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - News Release
No: III-25-013 May 12, 2025
Contact: Viktoria Mitlyng, 630-829-9662 Prema Chandrathil, 630-829-9663
NRC Begins Special Inspection at Quad Cities Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has launched a special inspection at the Quad Cities Generating Station to review the inoperability of safety-related vacuum breakers. The two-unit plant, in Marseilles, Illinois, is operated by Constellation Energy.
Plant operators discovered that vacuum breakers designed to ensure structural integrity of the containment during significant plant events were inoperable because certain valves were not reopened after testing during a recent refueling outage.
The NRC determined a special inspection was warranted because the event resulted in the system’s inability to regulate containment pressure. The system has been restored.
“While this did not affect safe plant operation, an independent review of the issue by the regulator is warranted given questions related to the performance of plant personnel that compromised the ability of a safety system to fulfill its function,” said Region III Administrator Jack Giessner. “Our inspectors will evaluate Constellation’s response, its understanding of the event and the scope of its assessment actions; they will independently review the adequacy and implementation of processes and procedures related to the event; and evaluate the system’s design.”
Once the inspection is completed, NRC inspectors will document their findings in a publicly available inspection report, which will be distributed electronically to listserv subscribers and available on the NRC website.
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