TVA Begins Browns Ferry Fuel Load

Workers at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant began loading fuel into the Unit 1 reactor today, a key step in returning the unit to safe and reliable operation next year as planned.

Loading the fuel is expected to take about two weeks as skilled technicians move 764 fuel bundles from the fuel storage pool to the reactor. The Unit 1 restart project is 97-percent complete with return to service scheduled by May 2007 as planned.

TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Karl Singer said he is pleased with the work being done at Browns Ferry and the transition to an operating facility.

“This significant milestone for Browns Ferry and TVA’s nuclear program means that plant systems required to move fuel to the reactor and maintain it safely have been returned to service,” Singer said. “We are returning Unit 1 to operation in a deliberate and planned manner based on our previous experience with units 2 and 3.”

Don't forget that a public meeting on the restart is scheduled for tonight at Calhoun Community College. Click here for details.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Energy, Electricity, Environment, Politics, Technology, TVA

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