SPRING CITY-The completion of Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 continues to meet targets for safety, quality, cost, and schedule. Once complete, the unit will produce the first new nuclear generation of the 21st century in the United States — generation that is low-cost and carbon-free.
Touring TVA’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant are (left to right) Senior Vice President of Watts Bar Operations & Construction Mike Skaggs and William D. Magwood, a Commissioner with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Shown in the Watts Bar 2 Control Room are (left to right) Tom Wallace, Senior Manager of Watts Bar 2 Operations; William C. Ostendorff, a Commissioner with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Mike Skaggs, Senior Vice President of Watts Bar Operations & Construction.
Schedule
The current focus is on the open vessel flow testing taking place. This test involves pumping water through the open reactor vessel and specific systems needed for operation.
The unit remains on track to begin operation by December 2015. It will generate 1,150 megawatts of electricity — enough for about 650,000 homes.
Safety
Nearly 3,200 people work on Watts Bar 2 construction. They’ve worked more than 27.5 million hours without a lost-time incident.
Watts Bar 2 will be the first nuclear plant in the U.S. to meet new Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations established after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan.
Quality
Quality of work remains high with a quality control acceptance rate greater than 98 percent.
Cost
The project is within budget. The total cost of the Watts Bar 2 project is estimated at $4 billion to $4.2 billion.
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