The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, to discuss the Tennessee Valley Authority’s commercial grade dedication program for its operating units at three nuclear plant sites – Watts Bar and Sequoyah in Tennessee, and Browns Ferry in Alabama.
The NRC requires certain components in a nuclear plant to meet strict nuclear quality assurance standards. Commercial grade dedication is a process that provides reasonable assurance that components purchased from a commercial supplier are equivalent to nuclear grade items. This assurance is achieved through documented inspections, tests or analyses.
The NRC identified some issues with TVA’s commercial grade dedication program during the continuing construction of Watts Bar Unit 2. TVA subsequently began an effort to review that program at Watts Bar Unit 1 and at both Sequoyah and Browns Ferry. Neither TVA nor the NRC has identified any significant issues related to the safe operation of the units.
Thursday's meeting is being held at the request of TVA and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in the NRC’s Region II office. That office is at 245 Peachtree Center Avenue NE, Suite 1200 in Atlanta. The meeting will be open to public observation and NRC staff will be available to answer questions after the business portion of the meeting.