The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house and poster session for Tuesday, March 17 to discuss the agency’s assessment of the Watts Bar nuclear power plant’s Unit 1 during 2014.
The plant, operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is located near Spring City, Tenn., about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville.
The open house and poster session is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. at the Comfort Inn, 2811 Decatur Pike, Athens, Tenn.
NRC staff members will be available to answer questions on the safety performance and regulatory oversight of the Watts Bar plant’s Unit 1, as well as highlights of NRC inspections. Watts Bar Unit 2, which is still under construction, will be the subject of a later NRC meeting. That meeting will also be in the vicinity of the plant site and details of that meeting will be announced soon.
“NRC inspectors continually evaluate each nuclear plant’s safety, and each year we take a detailed look at that information to identify any trends and help plan future inspections,” said NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree. “Inspection results are available throughout the year, but these annual meetings allow us to talk to local residents and answer any questions they may have.”
The NRC Region II office sent a letter to plant officials addressing Watts Bar Unit 1 performance during 2014, and while that letter will serve as the main focus of the open house, NRC staff members will be available to answer other questions about the NRC’s role at the plant.
The NRC review of Watts Bar Unit 1 for 2014 concluded that the plant operated in a manner that preserved public health and safety and protected the environment. Because of that performance, it will continue to receive the detailed routine or baseline inspections this year that all nuclear power plants receive.
The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant performance. The colors start with green, which has very low safety significance, and then progress to white, yellow or red, based on the significance of the issues.
Current performance information for Watts Bar Unit 1 is available on the NRC website, and that information is updated throughout the year.