Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Athens, Ala., is shown from above.TVA refuels unit at Browns Ferry
The newest reactor at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is expected to return to full power generation this week after TVA completed a refueling outage in which the utility spent more than $5 million employing over 800 temporary contract workers.
During the outage at the Unit 3 reactor at the North Alabama plant, 288 fuel assemblies were replaced and more than 11,500 work activities were completed to prepare the reactor for another two-year fuel cycle.
Major work activities included the installation of a replacement turbine rotor refurbished to resist corrosion and stress cracking; key reactor safety systems were disassembled, inspected and upgraded; and more than 100 electrical relays and breakers were replaced with upgraded equipment.
"The Browns Ferry team did an excellent job completing a safe and event-free outage while also operating Units 1 and 2 to provide power to TVA customers," Browns Ferry Site Manager Keith Polson said.
TVA employees give $2.6 million
Tennessee Valley Authority employees contributed nearly $2.6 million in 2013 to Combined Federal Campaigns across the utility's 7-state region, officials said Tuesday.
The biggest fundraising campaign last year was the Chattanooga Combined Federal Campaign, which collected nearly $1.53 million from TVA workers in the Chattanooga area.