The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a meeting with TVA officials for Thursday, Nov. 3, to discuss the utility’s continuing response to NRC’s concerns regarding a “chilled work environment” at the Watts Bar nuclear plant.
The meeting is scheduled to be held at 6 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, 2811 Decatur Pike, Athens, Tenn. The plant is near Spring City, about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville.
On March 23, NRC issued a letter to TVA expressing concern that some operations employees may not have felt comfortable raising safety concerns at the plant. Specifically, the NRC expressed concern that some licensed operators may have been unduly influenced by TVA managers outside the control room. Those influences could cause what is described as a “chilling effect” on the plant’s work environment.
“Our goal in this ongoing effort is to ensure that all nuclear power plant employees always feel free to express concerns about safety issues within their organization and to the NRC directly without fear of retaliation,” said NRC Region II Administrator Cathy Haney.
At the meeting, TVA is expected to provide an update on its corrective actions related to the work environment at the plant. NRC officials will discuss the agency’s plans to continue to provide oversight regarding the issue.
NRC staff will be available after the business portion of the meeting to answer questions from members of the public and the media. Anyone unable to attend who wishes to listen to the meeting via a toll-free teleconference line should contact the NRC’s Alan Blamey by Nov. 2. Mr. Blamey can be reached by phone at 404.997-4415 or email at alan.blamey@nrc.gov.