NRC: McGuire Nuclear Station Earns Top Safety Rating in Federal Review

Federal regulators say the McGuire Nuclear Station remains in the highest safety performance category after a year-long review of operations at the two-reactor facility in Huntersville.

In a March 11 assessment letter, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) concluded that the plant, operated by Duke Energy, maintained performance levels that “preserved public health and safety” during 2025.

The agency reviewed inspection findings, safety performance indicators, and enforcement actions covering Jan. 1 through Dec. 31.

Both reactors were placed in the “Licensee Response Column,” the top tier of the NRC’s Reactor Oversight Process. Plants in that category have no findings with more than very low safety significance and remain subject to routine inspections rather than heightened federal oversight.

Regulators said all inspection findings were classified “Green,” meaning they posed minimal safety significance, and all performance indicators were within expected ranges.

Routine inspections continue

Because the plant remains in the top performance tier, the NRC will continue its baseline inspection program, the standard set of reviews conducted at nuclear plants nationwide.

An inspection schedule released with the assessment outlines reviews planned through the end of 2027. Those inspections include:

• Cybersecurity inspections examining digital protections for plant systems

• Operator licensing and requalification reviews to ensure reactor operators maintain training standards

• Radiation protection inspections focused on worker exposure controls

• Security inspections covering access controls and equipment readiness

• Emergency preparedness inspections, including testing of public alert systems

  
  

Federal inspectors also plan reviews of the facility’s independent spent fuel storage installation, where used nuclear fuel is stored after removal from the reactor.

Routine monitoring by resident NRC inspectors stationed at the site occurs continuously and is not listed in the public schedule.

Context for local residents

The two-reactor plant on Lake Norman is one of the largest electricity producers in the Carolinas. According to federal emergency planning data, roughly 285,000 people live within 10 miles of the facility, the primary emergency planning zone used by federal and state agencies.

The NRC’s oversight program places nuclear plants into one of five performance categories depending on safety findings. Remaining in the top category means regulators identified no issues requiring additional federal scrutiny.

The agency said the assessment letter and inspection plans are public records, even though some aspects have not been publicly disclosed.

The letter released by the NRC was posted online using the Gov Delivery tool as a scanned document that could not be read by screen readers or easily searched because it lacked optical character recognition (OCR). For many readers, especially those who rely on assistive technology, that makes the information effectively inaccessible. Accessibility is also a transparency issue: when federal agencies release records in formats that are difficult to read, search, or share, it can limit the public’s ability to understand decisions that may affect their communities. To make the document usable, this reporter uploaded it to DocumentCloud and applied OCR so the text can be searched, copied, and read with accessibility tools, allowing anyone to review the letter more easily.

Executive Order (EO) 14300, “Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission,” signed by President Donald J. Trump on May 23, 2025, directed the NRC to undertake a review and wholesale revision of its regulations and guidance documents, and issue notice(s) of proposed rulemaking effecting this revision within 9 months of the date of this order, and issue final rules and guidance to conclude this revision process within 18 months of the date of this order. 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is led by five commissioners who are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms. One commissioner is designated by the president to serve as chairman and act as the agency’s official spokesperson. The current commission includes Chairman Ho Nieh and Commissioners David Wright, Bradley Crowell, Matthew Marzano, and Douglas Weaver. 

As the principal executive officer, the chairman oversees the agency’s administration, long-range planning, budget, and certain personnel functions and has ultimate authority over NRC actions during emergencies involving licensed nuclear facilities. The commission as a whole operates as a collegial body that sets policy, develops regulations governing nuclear reactor and nuclear material safety, issues orders to licensees, and decides certain legal matters.