Nuclear plant’s safety rating takes hit

PHOENIX – The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Thursday downgraded the safety rating of the nation’s largest nuclear plant, subjecting it to a level of scrutiny shared by just one other plant in the nation.

The NRC made the announcement following three years of problems in various safety systems at the Palo Verde nuclear plant west of Phoenix.


Inspectors in September found that one of its emergency diesel generators had been broken for 18 days. Emergency generators are critically important at nuclear reactors, providing electricity to pumps, valves and control rooms if the main electrical supply fails.

Only FirstEnergy Corp.’s Perry nuclear plant in Ohio has a safety rating as bad as Palo Verde’s, NRC spokesman Victor Dricks said.

AP