Unit 1 at TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is once again producing reliable, carbon-free energy after safely completing a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage today (Tuesday). Plant operators on Tuesday afternoon were returning the unit to its full capacity, generating enough power for 650,000 homes.
In addition to replacing 81 of the unit’s 193 fuel assemblies, detailed inspections of the reactor vessel were conducted to confirm all components continue to meet or exceed all design requirements and are fully able of performing their safety functions. Other major maintenance activities included replacing or refurbishing a number of motors, valves and other plant components, as well as several modifications for improving safety.
“The entire Sequoyah team, supported by more than 1,000 supplemental contract workers, completed approximately 14,100 activities during the outage,” said Tony Williams, Sequoyah site vice president. “Each of our team members takes great pride in the work they do to ensure the Sequoyah plant continues provide safe, reliable service to the people and businesses of the Tennessee Valley.”
Sequoyah Unit 1 is one of seven operational TVA nuclear reactors across the Valley, supplying nearly 40 percent of all electricity used by more than 9 million people. TVA’s nuclear fleet is a major contributor to reducing TVA’s carbon emissions, which have fallen nearly 50 percent since 2005, officials said.