Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff will discuss the 2023 safety performance of the
Monticello nuclear power plant during a hybrid public meeting May 7. The plant, in Monticello,
Minnesota, is operated by Northern State Power Company-Minnesota.
The meeting will be held from 5-6 p.m. Central time at the Monticello Community Center,
505 Walnut St., in Monticello, and on Microsoft Teams. There will be an open house from
4:30-5 p.m. and another after the formal meeting from 6-6:30 p.m. Members of the public can
attend in person, virtually or by phone. Information on how to participate can be found in the
meeting notice.
The NRC will present its assessment of the plant’s 2023 performance. Staff responsible for
plant inspection and oversight, including the resident inspectors based at the site, will be available
for a question-and-answer session.
The NRC determined that Monticello operated safely during 2023. All inspection findings
and performance indicators were green or very low safety significance. As a result, the plant
remains under the NRC’s baseline level of oversight, which entails thousands of hours of inspection
each year.
The NRC Reactor Oversight Process uses color-coded inspection findings and indicators to
measure plant performance. The colors start at green and increase to white, yellow or red, based on
the safety significance of the issues involved. Inspection findings or performance indicators with
more than a very low safety significance trigger an increase of NRC oversight.
Plant inspections are performed by two NRC resident inspectors and inspection specialists
from the agency’s Region III Office in Lisle, Ill.
The annual assessment letter for Monticello is available on the NRC website. Current
performance information is also available on the NRC website and updated on a quarterly basis.
