Commercial operation of the long-shuttered second unit at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar nuclear plant in Tennessee got underway earlier this month, the first U.S. nuke reactor to start up since 1996, when a sister 1,150-unit came on line. The second unit went through years of tribulation after construction began in 1973, then was halted in 1985 and not restarted until 2007.
“Watts Bar Unit 2 is a key part of our commitment to produce cleaner energy without sacrificing the reliability and low cost that draws both industry and residents to our area,” CEO William Johnson said on Oct 19. Completing the partially built unit cost $4.7 billion, nearly twice the 2007 completion estimate of $2.5 billion. The original estimate also had set an in-service date of late 2012 (ENR 4/16/12 p. 14).