Case Study: Palo Verde achieves NRC Column 1 status with GSE TrueNorth Engineering Program Assessments

Utility Improves from NRC’s Regulatory Oversight Process Column 4 to Column 1 Status

Palo Verde Generating Station, a nuclear power plant west of Phoenix, AZ, was placed in NRC Regulatory Oversight Process Column 4 after repeated degraded cornerstones, multiple YELLOW inputs, and one RED input signaled serious and ongoing program issues. GSE Solutions’ GSE TrueNorth team was brought in to assess the station’s Engineering Programs, which had become isolated, disjointed, and difficult to manage under increasing regulatory pressure.

GSE Solutions implemented Engineering Program Benchmark Gap Analyses and Program Assessments for 21 affected programs, evaluating technical content, structure, implementation, and maintenance while also training and mentoring station personnel on updated processes. As a result, Palo Verde returned to Column 1 regulatory oversight, reducing the risk of further fines and oversight, and its Director of Engineering credited GSE TrueNorth with the improvement.

Palo Verde Generating Station