Steam generator pre-order for Watts Bar 2

The board of the Tennessee Valley Authority has approved a $160 million contract to order additional steam generators for Watts Bar 2. The plant is expected to start up in two years using its previously-supplied steam generators.

The board of the Tennessee Valley Authority has approved a $160 million contract to order additional steam generators for Watts Bar 2. The plant is expected to start up in two years using its previously-supplied steam generators.

Watts Bar (Image: TVA)

According to a presentation to the TVA's board, the contract with Westinghouse would cover the supply of more corrosion-resistant 68AXP-model steam generators. Identical steam generators have already been supplied to TVA's Watts Bar 1 and similar ones have been supplied to its Sequoyah units 1 and 2.

TVA resumed construction of Watts Bar 2 in 2007 after a 22-year hiatus in the project. The Westinghouse-designed pressurized water reactor (PWR) is expected to have a net capacity of some 1177 MWe and is currently on course for a likely startup in December 2015. Most of the USA's operating PWR units have already carried out replacement of their steam generators with more modern ones which use more corrosion-resistant alloys than those used at the time that the original components for Watts Bar 2 were supplied.

The TVA board gave its approval to a contract for the "eventual replacement" of Watts Bar 2's steam generators because of the long lead-time for such components, although it has not said when it envisages installation will take place.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News