The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 is once again producing reliable, carbon-free energy after safely completing a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage on Thursday, May 16.
Plant operators are returning the unit to its full capacity, generating enough power for 650,000 homes.
In addition to replacing 84 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 perform their safety functions.
Other major maintenance activities included replacing or refurbishing a number of motors, valves and other plant systems and components, as well as several modifications for improving safety.
“The entire Watts Bar team, supported by more than 900 additional workers, safely completed approximately 11,300 activities during the outage,” said Tony Williams, Watts Bar site vice president. “Each of our team members takes great pride in the work they do to ensure the Watts Bar plant continues to provide safe, reliable service to the people and businesses of the Tennessee Valley.”
Watt Bar’s two units produce enough power for 1.3 million home. TVA also operates three units at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant near Decatur, Alabama, and two units at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Soddy Daisy. Collectively, TVA’s nuclear fleet provides approximately 40 percent of the low-cost, carbon-free electricity used across the Valley.