TVA Board Hears Report on Browns Ferry Unit 1 Study
March 26, 2002
HARTSVILLE, Tenn. – Returning TVA’s Browns Ferry Unit 1 to service is a technically viable option for meeting future power demand while not increasing emissions in the Tennessee Valley, according to a detailed cost and planning study. The technical study requested by the TVA Board in September shows that Browns Ferry Unit 1 can be returned to service “safely and economically,” Chief Nuclear Engineer Jon Rupert told the Board today at a meeting in Hartsville.
According to the Detailed Scoping, Estimating and Planning study, it would take about five years and cost about $1.7 billion to restart the unit. Up to 2,400 temporary jobs would be created while the project is under way – most of them in the North Alabama area.
“This careful and thorough review of the amount of work, the estimated cost, and the time required to return Unit 1 to service will help the Board make a sound business decision,” said TVA Chairman Glenn McCullough Jr. “The study shows the unit can provide an affordable, reliable source of power for the people of the Tennessee Valley. However, this is just one of the steps to be taken so that the Board can make an informed decision.”
The Board will await results of an environmental review and an assessment of power and financial conditions before deciding whether to pursue the Browns Ferry option. Later this week, TVA will mail copies of the Browns Ferry Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for public review. After publication of a notice in the Federal Register, the public has 30 days to review the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
The environmental review is one of the steps TVA must complete before it can apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend operating licenses for all three Browns Ferry reactors. In addition to the environmental review, the Board will wait for detailed financial assessments and power planning forecasts. Current power planning forecasts indicate that additional capacity will be needed in the next decade to meet power demand in the TVA region.
A team of experts with experience in recovering and restarting nuclear plants and major engineering and construction companies conducted the detailed planning and cost study and evaluated the physical condition of Unit 1. Browns Ferry Unit 1 has not operated since 1985. TVA restarted Unit 2 in 1991 and Unit 3 in 1995, and both units have performed well and provided a reliable source of power since they returned to service. Browns Ferry Unit 3 currently holds the record for the longest continuous run of any TVA power generating facility.
The Browns Ferry units have consistently ranked among the nation’s top nuclear facilities as measured by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the industry group that evaluates and accredits commercial nuclear reactors.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power producer, and its power system is self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states.
Media Contact:
Craig Beasley, Browns Ferry (256-729-7698) or TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865-632-6000)
