TVA scales back Bellefonte plans

The Tennessee Valley Authority is scaling back plans at its Bellefonte Nuclear Plant to only a single reactor.

After considering plans for up to four reactors at the Hollywood, Ala., site, TVA said today it now will concentrate on either finishing one of the incomplete reactors at the site or building one of the next generation reactors. TVA spokesman Terry Johnson said falling power demand and growing budget constraints helped spur the change in plans.

TVA is facing a $1 billion price tag to clean up its Kingston ash spill amid a 7 percent decline in electricity sales this year. The federal utility also is pushing for more energy conservation to limit the need for expensive new power generation.

TVA began building two Babcock & Wilcox reactors at Bellefonte in 1974 but suspended construction of those units in 1988. Two years ago, TVA filed an application to consider building two Westinghouse AP-1000 reactors at Bellefonte.

“As the Valley grows, TVA intends to meet the demand for power with a combination of conservation, energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and additional base load generation,” said Ashok Bhatnagar, senior vice president of nuclear generation development and construction. “TVA forecasts additional base load generation will be needed in the 2017 to 2020 time frame.”