NRC Renews License for TVA’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
May 4, 2006
ATHENS, Ala.—The Nuclear Regulatory Commission today approved a 20-year license renewal for all three units at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, which will allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to operate the plant into the 2030s.
NRC Chairman Nils Diaz and NRC Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Jim Dyer signed the license renewal at a ceremony at the plant near Athens, Ala. “
The NRC’s approval of license renewal for the three Browns Ferry units means that TVA customers will benefit from the plant’s clean, safe and reliable power for many years to come,” said TVA President and Acting Chief Executive Officer Tom Kilgore.
Before granting the license renewal, the NRC conducted a comprehensive two-year review of thousands of documents and conducted on-site inspections. The renewal includes the license for Unit 1, which is scheduled for restart in May 2007.
“The license renewal for Unit 1 is another major milestone in the work to restart the unit,” said TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Karl Singer.
TVA submitted its application for license renewal in December of 2003. The NRC license approval will allow TVA to continue operating units 1, 2 and 3 until 2033, 2034 and 2036, respectively.
When it is restarted, Unit 1 will add 1,280 megawatts of power to the TVA system. TVA is also adding 110 megawatts of additional generating capacity to units 2 and 3 through power uprates, for a total addition of 1,500 megawatts to the TVA power system.
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 is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely selffinancing with revenues of $7.8 billion in 2005. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.6 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.
Media Contact
Craig Beasley, Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, (256) 729-7698
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000
