The regulation of U.S. nuclear power plants includes having a team of government inspectors on site at all times. At the Perry nuclear power station on Lake Erie, a new senior resident inspector has just been named
The arrival of Jakob Steffes coincides with the recent announcements that the Perry plant will be closed in a few years, and its parent company has filed for bankruptcy.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission say his appointment is a regular rotation and unrelated to the that. But he says he is aware that there are now some special considerations at Perry. “Our focus will still be on the safety of the plant. “So our mission in those daily activities that we’ll be doing won’t change. However we do acknowledge the fact that this challenging environment will bring some particular aspects that we’ll need to keep an eye on.”
Steffes is a nuclear engineer. He’s been with the NRC since 2011 and was the senior inspector at a power plant in Iowa before coming to Perry.
