President Bush Tours Browns Ferry Unit 1, Recognizes Workers

June 21, 2007

ATHENS, Ala. -- President George Bush today recognized the work of TVA employees and contract workers to restart Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 1 - the first nuclear reactor to begin generating power in this country in more than 10 years.

Bush addressed plant employees and guests in a recognition ceremony following a tour of Unit 1, which TVA restarted last month, completing one of the most extensive restart efforts in the nuclear industry. Unit 1, idled since 1985, is the first nuclear reactor to be started in the United States this century and the first since TVA started Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in 1996.

TVA Chairman Bill Sansom also addressed the employees and contract workers before introducing the president.

“This day is really a tribute to the employees,” Sansom said. “We have delivered this project exactly when we said we would – five years after the Board’s decision to restart it. Returning Unit 1 to service will provide a safe, clean and efficient source of energy for the Tennessee Valley.”

All eight TVA Board members attended the ceremony. Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale Klein, and former TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough also attended.

“We are pleased that President Bush came to Browns Ferry today to recognize the significance of the restart of Unit 1 to TVA, our customers, the nuclear industry and the country,” said TVA President and CEO Tom Kilgore. “Unit 1 is operating at 100 percent power today helping TVA meet power demand in the Tennessee Valley. The successful restart is a result of the commitment, determination and attention to detail of the people who did the work.”

Browns Ferry is located on Wheeler Reservoir in Athens, Ala. Each of the three units is capable of producing more than 1,155 megawatts, enough power to supply approximately 650,000 homes. TVA also operates two units at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Soddy Daisy, Tenn., and one unit at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn.

TVA shut down all three Browns Ferry reactors in 1985 to address management and operational concerns. Browns Ferry units 2 and 3 were returned to service in 1991 and 1995, respectively. In the restart of unit 1, TVA used lessons learned from the restart of units 2 and 3, with the same upgrades and improvements made on all the units.

In May 2002, the TVA Board approved returning Unit 1 to service, calling it the best business decision to meet the Tennessee Valley’s long-term power needs. The Board based its decision on improved nuclear performance, increased power demand in the Valley, a positive evaluation of the environmental impact, and a detailed scoping, estimating and planning effort for the Unit 1 restart.

TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financing. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.7 million consumers in seven southeastern states. TVA also manages the Tennessee River and its tributaries to provide multiple benefits, including flood damage reduction, navigation, water quality and recreation.

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