Tennessee Valley Authority\u2019s (TVA\u2019s) proposed expansion of its nuclear power plant fleet is likely to get the backing of its board of directors after four nominees to the board expressed support for nuclear energy during a US Senate confirmation hearing.<\/p>\n
TVA was set up by the US Congress in 1933, primarily to reduce flood damage, improve navigation on the Tennessee River, provide electric power, and promote \u201cagricultural and industrial development\u201d in the region. Today, TVA is a federal corporation and the country\u2019s largest public power company, supplying the electricity needs of about nine million people. It provides wholesale power to 157\u00a0municipal and cooperative power distributors, and directly serves 58\u00a0large industries and government installations in the Tennessee Valley.<\/p>\n
Some 30% of TVA\u2019s power supply currently comes from its three nuclear plants: Browns Ferry, Sequoyah and Watts Bar. Together, the six operating reactors at the plants generate more than 6900\u00a0MWe.<\/p>\n
TVA has already completed four reactor projects previously mothballed. Construction work on three units at Browns Ferry was halted in 1985, with units 2\u00a0and 3\u00a0eventually brought into service in 1991\u00a0and 1995. Unit 1\u00a0at the site joined them online in May 2007. Watts Bar 1\u00a0and 2\u00a0were also cancelled by TVA in 1985. Unit 1\u00a0was finished off and commissioned in 1996, while a project to bring the 60%-complete Watts Bar 2\u00a0to service is currently underway. It is expected to be completed by 2013, adding 1180\u00a0MWe to the TVA power system.<\/p>\n
In addition, TVA began building two 1263\u00a0MWe pressurized water reactors at Bellefonte in 1974, but by 1988\u00a0the project was running badly late and TVA decided to defer construction. Unit 1\u00a0is 90% complete; unit 2\u00a0about 58%. The company has still to decide whether to complete the reactors. In 2005, the Bellefonte site was selected by the NuStart Energy consortium for the development of the reference combined construction and operating licence (COL) for the Westinghouse AP1000\u00a0reactor design. However, TVA says that no decision to build any new generating capacity at the Bellefonte site has yet been made.<\/p>\n
Nominees back nuclear<\/strong><\/p>\n The nine-member TVA board sets policy and strategy for the company. The members are nominated by the President of the USA and confirmed by the US Senate to serve five-year terms. The board meets at least four times per year.<\/p>\n The US Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) met on 9\u00a0February to hear the nominations of four individuals to be members of the TVA board. During the hearing, each of the nominees gave a statement and was questioned by the committee members about their suitability for the role. Each nominee said that they backed TVA\u2019s use of nuclear energy.<\/p>\n Marilyn Brown, an energy professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, told the hearing, \u201cI am confident that a variety of practical solutions are available to manage TVA\u2019s growing demand while ensuring reasonable prices, reliable service, responsible environmental practices and economic growth.\u201d She added, \u201cI am pro-nuclear and I do think it needs to be part of the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Barbara Haskew, a Middle Tennessee State University professor and former TVA manager, said, \u201cAs an economist and a citizen, I am focused on the opportunities and challenges TVA faces as it addresses important questions about power production and use, the increased protection of the environment and the exciting potential of new technologies.\u201d She added, \u201cTo support economic growth, I think we have to have low-cost power, and that additional power may have to be through nuclear.\u201d<\/p>\n Neil McBride, an attorney from Oak Ridge, told the committee, \u201cIn the short run, additional generation needs to come almost surely from new nuclear.\u201d<\/p>\n William Sansom, a former TVA chairman, has been nominated for a second term on the board. He told the Senate committee, \u201cTVA is working to have 50% of its generation come from clean energy sources by 2020. That\u2019s why TVA has taken a national leadership role in nuclear power, and I was pleased to be part of TVA\u2019s decision to complete unit 2\u00a0at the Watts Bar nuclear plant.\u201d He added, \u201cWe\u2019ve got some old dirty coal plants and, even if we were to miss the call for increased demand, I think nuclear must be part of our solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Senator Barbara Boxer, chair the EPW committee, commented: \u201cThe Tennessee Valley Authority is a critical piece of our nation\u2019s energy policy. In 1933, it was an ambitious, unprecedented and successful government effort to improve a deeply impoverished area. Its mandate is to be a national leader in technological innovation, low-cost power, and environmental stewardship.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Tennessee Valley Authority\u2019s (TVA\u2019s) proposed expansion of its nuclear power plant fleet is likely to get the backing of its board of directors after four nominees to the board expressed support for nuclear energy during a US Senate confirmation hearing. TVA was set up by the US Congress in 1933, primarily to reduce flood damage,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-novosti-otrasli"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.6","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ru","en"],"languages":{"ru":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false}}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n