No. II-12-012 April 5, 2012

CONTACT: Roger Hannah (404) 997-4417 E-mail: OPA2@nrc.gov

 Joey Ledford (404) 997-4416

NRC SCHEDULES MEETINGS TO DISCUSS ASSESSMENT OF WATTS BAR 1 

NUCLEAR PLANT AND CONSTRUCTION INSPECTIONS FOR WATTS BAR 2

U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials have scheduled a meeting and open house 

on Thursday, April 12 to provide information on the agency’s assessment of safety performance 

for Unit 1 at the Watts Bar nuclear power plant during 2011. The NRC will also provide a 

presentation on the agency’s assessment of construction activities at Watts Bar Unit 2 at a 

meeting following the Unit 1 session. 

An informal open house is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. EDT at the Comfort Inn, located at 

2811 Decatur Pike in Athens, Tenn. The NRC staff will make a presentation on the safety 

performance of Watts Bar Unit 1 at 1:30 and will be available to answer questions. A 

presentation on Unit 2 is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. in the same room and will also be 

followed by a question and answer session.

The Watts Bar plant, which has one operating pressurized-water reactor and one unit 

currently completing construction, is located near Spring City, Tenn., about 60 miles southwest 

of Knoxville. It is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Overall, the NRC staff concluded that Watts Bar Unit 1 operated safely in 2011, and 

there were no inspection findings or performance indicators that would cause the NRC to 

increase its level of oversight and inspection. Based on the plant’s performance, the NRC staff 

plans to continue the detailed routine inspections all nuclear power plants receive. 

The NRC uses color-coded inspection findings and performance indicators to assess plant 

performance. The colors start with “green,” and escalate to “white,” “yellow” or “red,” based on

the significance of the issues. Inspection findings and performance indicators are updated on the 

NRC’s web site (www.nrc.gov) each quarter. 

“During 2011, our inspectors spent many hours ensuring that the Watts Bar plant met 

NRC safety requirements and protected both people living near the plant and the environment,” 

NRC Region II Administrator Victor McCree said.

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NRC inspectors also looked at whether there were immediate safety concerns at Watts 

Bar and other U.S. plants after the March 2011 events at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan. 

Those reviews found that the plants remained safe.

The annual assessment letter for Watts Bar Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site at 

www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/LETTERS/wb_2011q4.pdf. 

Routine inspections are carried out by the NRC resident inspectors assigned to the plant 

and by inspection specialists from the Region II office in Atlanta. Among the areas at the Watts 

Bar plant to be inspected this year by NRC specialists are modifications, problem identification 

and resolution, underground piping and operator licensing examinations.

Current performance information for Watts Bar Unit 1 is available on the NRC web site 

at: www.nrc.gov/NRR/OVERSIGHT/ASSESS/WB1/wb1_chart.html. 

The NRC assessment of Unit 2 found that, overall, TVA conducted construction activities 

in compliance with NRC regulations and the conditions of the plant’s construction permit. Based 

on that assessment, the NRC will not expand its activities beyond the detailed inspections 

planned and currently being conducted. However, NRC inspectors will continue to assess 

corrective actions for some issues identified during 2011.

Information on Watts Bar Unit 2 can be found at www.nrc.gov/infofinder/reactor/wb/watts-bar.html.

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