Federal utility fined $145K for inaccurate nuke plant info
Posted December 3, 2019 10:03 am.
NASHVILLE — Federal regulators are fining the nation’s largest public utility $145,000 for submitting incomplete and inaccurate backup system information at its Watts Bar Nuclear Plant.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission notified the Tennessee Valley Authority of the proposed fine regarding the Spring City, Tennessee plant on Nov. 19.
The commission says incorrect and inaccurate information from July 2010 to January 2015 didn’t result in consequences but was used in part to approve reactor licensing requests.
The commission says the backup would’ve been inadequate to power safety equipment in certain accident scenarios, but TVA has taken corrective action.
TVA spokesman Jim Hopson says the federal utility inadvertently used inaccurate information to develop a configuration that was never used.
Hopson says the issue didn’t affect public safety or impact daily operations.
Jonathan Mattise, The Associated Press
