NRC announces increase in oversight at Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced on Thursday that they intend to increase oversight activity at the Sequoyah Unit 1 Nuclear Power Plant.

The NRC states that this is due to the amount of unplanned shutdowns that have been carried out at the facility as revealed in the agency’s quarterly review.

“Overall, the Sequoyah plant is operating safely,” NRC Acting Region II Administrator Len Wert said. “However, these shutdowns point to potential performance issues and we want to ensure that TVA addresses them appropriately.”

In the review of the facility, the NRC said that the plant experiences enough "unplanned scrams per 7,000 critical hours" to bring it into the white category of performance. This indicates that there are concerns over safety and operational performance. Red levels are considered to be the most severe followed by yellow and white; green is the level indicating little or no safety concerns relating to operation.

Supplemental inspections carried out at the facility will provide understanding of the causes of the shutdowns and to determine the sufficiency of corrective actions taken.

The Sequoyah plant is owned by the Tennessee Valley Authority and is located near Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee — approximately 16 miles outside of Chattanooga.