Sequoyah Unit 1 Completes Refueling and Maintenance Outage

Unit 1 at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant is once again producing reliable, carbon-free energy after safely completing a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage on Wednesday, Jan. 4. Operators are returning the unit to its full capacity, generating enough power for 650,000 homes.

In addition to replacing 72 of the unit’s 193 fuel assemblies, detailed inspections of the reactor vessel were conducted to confirm all components continued to meet or exceed all design requirements and were fully able of performing their safety functions. Other major maintenance activities included replacing or refurbishing a number of motors, valves and other plant components, as well as several modifications for improving safety.

“The entire Sequoyah team, supported by more than 900 supplemental contract workers, completed approximately 11,000 activities,” said Greg Boerschig, Sequoyah site vice president. “Their hard work and dedication is much appreciated – especially during the recent holiday season – and will help ensure the Sequoyah plant can continue to reliably serve the people of the Valley.”

Sequoyah Unit 1 is one of seven operational TVA nuclear reactors across the Valley, supplying nearly one-third of all electricity used by more than 9 million people.