NRC, TVA officials to discuss workplace allegations at Watts Bar plant

Watts Bar nuclear plant
Watts Bar nuclear plant | Contributed photo

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) officials plan to meet with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) officials on Tuesday to discuss the working environment at the Watts Bar nuclear plant, near Spring City, Tennessee.

The meeting will be held at 1 p.m. at the NRC’s Region II Office in Atlanta.

“It is extremely important that all nuclear plant employees feel free to raise safety issues with their managers and with the NRC without fear of retaliation,” NRC Region II Administrator Cathy Haney said.

This meeting was initiated after an NRC review of the plant’s working environment late last year. In the review, it was reported that employees said they were not comfortable sharing safety concerns with management. The report also said there were indicators suggesting

that licensed operators may have received inappropriate guidance from TVA staff outside of the control room.

At this time, there have not been any reports of events that would risk public or staff safety, the NRC said.

During this time, the NRC is also reviewing plant activities to determine whether any NRC regulations were violated by staff and management at the plant. The meeting itself will be held in closed session, but NRC staff will be available afterward to take questions from the public and to offer additional information.