The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled two public sessions for next Thursday to discuss construction of Unit 2 at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar nuclear plant, near Spring City, Tn., about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville.
An open house is scheduled from 5:30 to 6 p.m. at McMinn County High School, 2215 Congress Parkway in Athens, Tn.
During the open house, NRC staff members will be available to discuss the NRC’s assessment of construction activities at the site during 2014. The assessment letter sent to TVA can be found on the NRC website.
The NRC staff devoted more than 23,000 hours to the inspection, assessment and other support of construction activities at the Watts Bar site during 2014, and found that TVA met NRC rules and regulations and the conditions of the construction permit.
The second meeting, at the same location, will be between NRC and TVA officials and is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Members of the public can observe the business portion of the second meeting and senior NRC officials from both the regional office in Atlanta as well as the agency’s headquarters in Rockville, Md., will be available to answer questions or listen to comments after that portion.
“As we move closer to making a decision about a license for Watts Bar Unit 2, we felt it was important to give people who live near the site and other interested people an update on what we have done and what is planned, and to answer any questions they may have,” said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree.
During the second meeting, there will be presentations by TVA and the NRC discussing the current status of the project, NRC inspections and other activities and how the unit would be licensed if it meets all NRC requirements.
If Watts Bar Unit 2 does receive an operating license, it would be the first nuclear plant to go into commercial operation in this country since Watts Bar Unit 1 began operating in 1996.