The Tennessee Valley Authority Board approved a recommendation to complete the second unit at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in Spring City, Tenn. When Watts Bar Unit 2 is completed by 2013, the nuclear unit will provide enough power to serve approximately 650,000 homes in the Tennessee Valley.

This announcement is another great step in building TVA’s nuclear program. Now that Brown’s Ferry is online in the TVA power system, Watts Bar will be the seventh nuclear reactor. Not only is this good for Tennessee, in terms of economic development and job creation, it helps reduce the amount of green houses gasses that TVA produces. As our country moves toward zero emissions from our energy sources, nuclear energy must be part of the equation. Congress is working to pass another comprehensive energy bill and we should realize that we cannot be environmentally responsible and energy independent without expanding nuclear power in our energy portfolio.