Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Press Release

No: II-17-049 October 24, 2017

Contact: Roger Hannah, 404-997-4417

Joey Ledford, 404-997-4416

NRC Schedules TVA Update Meeting on Watts Bar Work Environment

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has scheduled a public meeting with Tennessee Valley Authority officials for Thursday, Nov. 2, to be briefed on the current status and progress of actions to address the chilled work environment in the operations department at the Watts Bar nuclear power plant.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., at the Comfort Inn, 2811 Decatur Pike, Athens, Tenn. The plant is located near Spring City, about 60 miles southwest of Knoxville, Tenn.

On March 23, 2016, the NRC staff issued a letter to TVA indicating that some of its operations employees may not have felt comfortable raising safety concerns at the plant. Specifically, the NRC expressed concern that some licensed operators may have been unduly influenced by TVA managers outside the control room, which could have caused what is described as a “chilling effect” on the plant’s work environment, making it less likely for employees to raise safety issues.

During the meeting, TVA is expected to provide an update on its corrective actions related to the work environment at the plant, enabling NRC officials to ask questions and discuss the agency’s plans to continue to provide oversight regarding this issue.

NRC staff will be available following the business portion of the meeting to answer questions from members of the public and the media. Anyone unable to attend and preferring to listen to the meeting via a toll-free teleconference line should contact the NRC’s Anthony Masters by Oct. 31, at 404-997-4465 or by email anthony.masters@nrc.gov.