Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Nuclear Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NRC resident inspectors report Waterford 3 operated with acceptable safety margins in 2025
Summary
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission resident inspectors Kent Chambliss and Kevin Cook Smith told the St. Charles Parish Council the NRC's 2025 assessment of Waterford 3 found mostly very‑low‑safety‑significance noncompliances, one low‑significance issue requiring supplemental inspection (now closed), and no need for increased regulatory oversight in 2026.
Kent Chambliss and Kevin Cook Smith, resident inspectors with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, briefed the parish council on the NRC’s annual assessment of the Waterford 3 nuclear plant for 2025.
Chambliss said the licensee’s quarterly submissions and inspection data showed the plant "operated with an optimal margin of safety for the entire 2025." He said inspectors perform routine oversight supplemented by specialized inspections from regional teams and that most noncompliances for the year were characterized as very low safety significance. One finding had slightly higher significance (characterized as low) and prompted a supplemental inspection.
Cook Smith described the supplemental inspection process: NRC inspectors reviewed the licensee’s root‑cause evaluation and corrective actions and found them satisfactory; following that review the plant returned to the baseline inspection program. Chambliss and Cook Smith said the NRC intends to conduct the nominal baseline inspection program for 2026 with no increased regulatory oversight.
Council offered the inspectors an opportunity for questions; no policy action followed the briefing.
