Last week, the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission held three informational open houses for the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant near Dothan, Ala., the Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant near Baxley, Ga., and the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro, Ga., to discuss the 2014 site assessment results. The Commission concluded that the plants met all of the NRC safety standards and that there were no major issues. 

"These annual public meetings give us an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to safety and reliability, and to hear from the communities we serve about any issues of interest or concern," said Southern Nuclear President and CEO Steve Kuczynski. "We were pleased to share our performance results and to learn that our plant neighbors have no concerns about our plants." 

The NRC staff was joined by leaders of each plant site and representatives from Alabama Power (Farley) and Georgia Power (Hatch and Vogtle), the owner companies. At the open houses, there were visual displays of plant safety performance and the NRC's oversight and inspection process. NRC and company representatives were available to answer questions.

"NRC inspectors continually evaluate each nuclear plant's safety, and each year we take a detailed look at that information to identify any trends and help plan future inspections," said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. "Inspection results are available throughout the year, but these annual meetings allow us to talk to local residents and answer any questions they may have."