Reviving a Nuclear Plant
Published: June 21, 2011
To the Editor:
Re “Nuclear Plant, Left for Dead, Shows a Pulse” (front page, June 16):
Your article about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s plans for our uncompleted Bellefonte nuclear plant exaggerated the significance of Bellefonte’s older design and painted a picture of a decrepit “salvage heap.”
T.V.A. is rigorously inspecting Bellefonte and will replace any components that do not measure up to modern standards. Nuclear safety systems will receive the greatest scrutiny. Control systems will be updated to digital, and the control room will be the most advanced in the nation.
While some equipment and material have been removed from Bellefonte and used elsewhere by T.V.A., most of it would have been replaced anyway before the unit was allowed to operate. The massive steel-reinforced concrete structures at Bellefonte are as strong and safe as any modern structures.
T.V.A.’s successes in restoring to service Browns Ferry Unit 1 and Watts Bar Unit 1 — both of which are older than Bellefonte — have taught us how to fully evaluate and modernize nuclear plants to ensure safe and economical operation. Should we proceed with Bellefonte Unit 1, we expect its power to be competitively priced and the best option for electricity that is both safe and clean.
BILL McCOLLUM
T.V.A. Chief Operating Officer
Chattanooga, Tenn., June 17, 2011
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