No: II-16-022 April 14, 2016

CONTACT: Roger Hannah 404-997-4417

Joey Ledford 404-997-4416

NRC Schedules Open House and Meeting to Discuss Assessment of

Sequoyah Nuclear Plant and NRC Research Analyzing Unlikely Accidents

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission staff has scheduled an open house for Wednesday, April 

20, to discuss the agency’s assessment of the Sequoyah nuclear plant’s two units during 2015.

That open house will be followed by another meeting discussing NRC research into the 

potential consequences of low probability accidents at nuclear plants, how plants are equipped to 

handle those accidents and how that research applies specifically to the Sequoyah plant. 

The plant, which is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, is located near Soddy-Daisy, 

Tenn., about 16 miles northeast of Chattanooga.

The open house for the plant’s annual assessment, which will include informational posters, is 

scheduled from 5-6 p.m. in the Sequoyah Nuclear Training Building Auditorium, 2600 Igou Ferry Rd.

in Soddy-Daisy.

NRC resident inspectors and other staff members will be available at that open house to answer 

questions on the safety performance and regulatory oversight of the Sequoyah plant, as well as 

highlights of NRC inspections.

The second meeting will begin with an open house at 6:30 p.m. followed by a brief presentation 

on the NRC research at 7. Members of the NRC research team will then be available to answer any 

questions about that research. The NRC has produced a brochure, which will be available on the NRC 

website, that describes the research study and how it applies to Sequoyah.

The highlights of the study include findings that operators can take steps to prevent, delay and 

reduce the consequences of the accident scenarios analyzed; that all modeled scenarios progress more 

slowly and release much smaller amounts of material than earlier studies found; and that there would be 

more time to implement emergency response measures than previously calculated, reducing the risk of 

public health consequences.

“We invite the public to visit with us and find out what we’re doing to ensure Sequoyah and 

other nuclear plants are operated safely,” said NRC Region II Administrator Cathy Haney. “The 

meetings offer an opportunity for everyone, and especially people who live near the plant, to learn more 

about the NRC’s work at the Sequoyah plant.”
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The NRC’s annual assessment letter to plant officials addressing the 2015 Sequoyah plant 

performance will serve as the main focus of the open house, but NRC staff members will be available 

to answer other questions about the NRC’s role at the plant. 

The NRC review concluded that the Sequoyah plant operated in a manner that preserved public 

health and safety and protected the environment. Unit 2 will continue to receive the detailed routine or 

baseline inspections this year that all nuclear power plants receive. Unit 1 is subject to increased 

inspection because it had a white performance indicator for unplanned shutdowns during the 

assessment period.

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

performance. The colors start with green, which has very low safety significance, and then progress to 

white, yellow or red, based on the significance of the issues.

Current performance information for both Sequoyah Unit 1 and Unit 2, as well as more detailed 

information about NRC inspection and oversight, is available on the NRC website. Plant performance 

indicators and inspection reports are updated at least quarterly.