NRC Approves Extended Power Uprate for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved Tennessee Valley Authority’s request for a 14.3 percent increase in the generating capacity of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, Units 1, 2 and 3, located in Athens, Ala.

The NRC staff determined that TVA could safely increase the reactors’ output primarily by upgrading certain plant systems and components. NRC staff also reviewed TVA’s evaluations showing the plant’s design can handle the increased power level. The NRC’s safety evaluation of the proposed uprate focused on areas such as the nuclear steam supply systems, instrumentation and control systems, and accident evaluations. For added confidence in the analysis, the NRC staff also conducted independent confirmatory calculations and audits of selected areas.

The power uprate for Browns Ferry authorizes an increase of each reactor’s maximum power level from 3458 to 3952 megawatts thermal. This represents a gross output increase of approximately 155 megawatts electric for each unit. TVA plans to implement the extended power uprate during the spring 2018 refueling outage for Unit 3, during the fall 2018 refueling outage for Unit 1, and during the spring 2019 refueling outage for Unit 2.

The NRC published a notice for the power uprate application in the Federal Register on July 5, 2016.

Image Source: TVA