NRC to look at issues with human performance at Prairie Island
The Prairie Island nuclear power plant is again under scrutiny. Federal regulators will hold a meeting this week into what's being done to resolve employee performance concerns at the site.
RED WING - The Prairie Island nuclear power plant is again under scrutiny. Federal regulators will hold a meeting this week into what's being done to resolve employee performance concerns at the site.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it wants a discussion of human performance at the Prairie Island nuclear power plant. NRC spokeswoman Viktoria Mitlyng says human performance problems often underlie equipment failures. Mitlyng says it's kind of like your car engine burning out, because you didn't have the oil changed.
The NRC first warned Xcel Energy, which owns the Prairie Island plant, about the performance problems last year. The utility made some changes, but about five months ago, the NRC issued a letter saying not everything had been resolved. Mitlyng says a meeting tomorrow night in Red Wing will give Xcel a chance to update the public. She says many U.S. nuclear power plants have had human performance problems. The NRC is also doing a broader review of whether to renew Prairie Island's license.
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