5 May (NucNet): The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has renewed the operating licences of the Browns Ferry nuclear plant’s three boiling water reactor units, bringing the total number of units that have received renewals to 42.
The licence for unit one has been extended until December 2033; the licence for unit two until June 2034; and the licence for unit three until July 2036, said the NRC.
All three units of the Browns Ferry plant in Alabama were shut down in 1985 but retained NRC operating licences. Unit two was restarted in 1991 and unit three was restarted in 1995. Operator the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been doing extensive work on unit one and says it expects to have that unit ready to begin operating again by 2007.
TVA said before granting the licence renewal, the NRC conducted a comprehensive two-year review of thousands of documents and conducted on-site inspections. “The licence renewal for unit one is another major milestone in the work to restart the unit,” said TVA chief nuclear officer Karl Singer.
When it is restarted, unit one will add 1,280 megawatts (MW) of power to the TVA system. TVA is also adding 110 MW of additional generating capacity to units two and three through power uprates, for a total addition of 1,500 MW, the company said.
TVA also operates two units at the Sequoyah nuclear plant and one unit at Watts Bar nuclear plant, both in Tennessee.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
US: Restart for Browns Ferry-1 – Licence Renewal Plan for Entire Plant (News No. 176, 17 May 2002)
Browns Ferry Prepares For First Use Of Blended LEU Fuel (News No. 42, 1 March 2005)
