NRC Begins Special Inspection at Dresden Nuclear Power Plant

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has begun a special inspection at the Dresden Nuclear Power Station in Morris, Illinois, after plant staff found a corroded battery connection that broke during maintenance. Constellation Energy operates the two-unit plant.

The battery is part of a backup power system that supports equipment used to safely shut down the reactor. The issue did not affect public health and safety. 

The NRC determined a special inspection was warranted because the damage was not caught during routine checks, and similar battery problems have occurred at other nuclear plants.

“An independent NRC review will help us understand how this battery issue developed and whether improvements are needed,” Region III Administrator Mohammed Shuaibi said. “We’re committed to ensuring the plant’s oversight processes remain strong and that similar problems are prevented at other facilities.”

A team of two NRC inspectors will look at how the damage happened, whether the plant’s regular inspections should have found it sooner, how the plant responded, and whether other plants could face a similar issue.

Once the inspection is complete, NRC inspectors will document their findings in a publicly available inspection report, which will be distributed electronically to listserv subscribers and posted on the NRC website.