TVA to correct Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant siren problem

photo TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is located near Athens, Ala. Federal regulators are holding a public meeting at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the safety of the Tennessee Valley Authority installation. (AP File Photo/Jay Reeves, File)

ATHENS, Ala. - The Tennessee Valley Authority says it plans to correct a problem that left only 12 of Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant's required 100 emergency sirens working after the April 27 tornadoes.

The power loss that left 88 sirens useless also caused problems at the nuclear plant.

Bill McCollum, the TVA's chief operating officer, says the authority is looking at installing emergency sirens with battery backup capability.

All three reactors shut down automatically April 27. A report TVA filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says water levels dropped in the Unit 1 reactor when the water boiled off faster than it was replaced. The cooling systems that control the temperature of the reactors stopped working for 47 minutes on April 28, 57 minutes on May 2 and 40 minutes on May 12.

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