NRC upgrades safety rating of Pilgrim nuclear plant
PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — The Pilgrim nuclear power plant in Plymouth has received a vote of confidence from federal regulators as it prepares to shut down permanently.
Pilgrim owner Entergy said Wednesday that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has returned the facility to "normal, baseline oversight" following a period in which it had been judged as one of the least safe nuclear plants in the country.
The NRC uses five columns to assign oversight, with plants in column 1 requiring the least amount of safety monitoring and those in column 5 the most.
Pilgrim most recently had been the only U.S. plant in column 4, with none listed in column 5.
The NRC has now moved Pilgrim to column 1.
The plant, which came on line in 1972, will stop generating electricity on May 31.
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