Byron nuclear plant prepared to respond to emergencies, protect public, federal evaluators say

BYRON – County officials, local law enforcement and Constellation personnel showed they are prepared for emergencies at the Byron Generating Station based on their performance in a hostile action-based exercise, federal evaluators said.

On July 25, about 260 people in Ogle and Winnebago counties participated in a scenario where terrorists gained entry to the nuclear power plant, said Stephen Tulley, a Federal Emergency Management Agency Region 5 supervisor who acted as the exercise director. A 26-person team from FEMA and a five-person team from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission evaluated the participants’ performances, he said.

“We thought we did a pretty good job,” Ogle County Emergency Management Coordinator Tom Richter told Shaw Media. “We personally found a few things that we need to make better, … but with no major findings, it tells me, as the emergency operations center manager – and in cooperation with the sheriff and all of our first responders — that everyone knows what their roles are and what their lanes are.”

The Byron Generating Station is located between Oregon and Byron, at 4450 N. German Church Road. It is owned and operated by Constellation.

Tulley and Jure Kutlesa, the emergency preparedness inspector for USNRC Region 3: Division of Radiological Safety and Security, presented their agencies’ preliminary results to the press during a July 28 briefing in Rochelle.

Kutlesa and Tulley both said their evaluators found “reasonable assurance” that an emergency plan could effectively be implemented and the public’s health and safety protected in the event of a radiological emergency.

“The [USNRC’s measure of] reasonable assurance is based on the licensee complying with our regulations and guidance, as well as their off-site response organizations demonstrating that they can effectively implement it,” Kutlesa said. “There really isn’t any gradation, but they have to comply.”

FEMA’s evaluation considers 103 capability targets, each of which is further broken down into another 60 to 70 points of review, Tulley said.

State and county officials, along with Constellation representatives, design the scenario, Tulley said. Planning takes two years, and it all boils down to a snapshot of a few hours that then are evaluated by federal agencies, he said.

Richter said the July 25 exercise kicked off about 8 a.m, when he and Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle were notified of an issue at the Byron Generating Station.

“Things just developed from there,” he said. “More information was forthcoming, and as the sheriff got his incident command post established, we continued to communicate through that, through the day as it went.”

There were “a lot of moving parts” as the exercise unfolded, Richter said. It was a stressful exercise, but it makes those involved not think on their own, he said. There are a multitude of decisions that have to be made, but if the plan is followed, it goes smoothly, Richter said.

The federal evaluators ended the scenario around noon, he said.

“I feel good about the fact that people know what their roles and responsibilities are and that we can take care of the public when we need to,” Richter said.

The full results of the NRC inspection will be available Sept. 11 in an inspection report numbered 2023501. That can be accessed through the NRC’s public webpage, NRC.gov. FEMA’s report will be out 90 days from July 28, and also will be posted to the NRC website.