Alexander visits Tennessee nuclear plant, says U.S. plants are safe

Victor McCree with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), TVA's COO Bill McCollum, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Bill Ostendorff of the NRC, from left, visit the Watts Bar nuclear plant to discuss reactor and nuclear material safety in the U.S. early this afternoon. Watts Bar is currently completing work on a second reactor which is the only new reactor under construction in the country.

U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., visited the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant today and said American nuclear plants are safe and will be safer.

''It's very important for those of us who believe in nuclear power to make sure it's as safe as possible,” he said.

He was further reassured by his visit today at Watts Bar, he said.

Touring the plant with Alexander was Bill Ostendorff, commissioner with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates nuclear reactor and nuclear material safety in the U.S.

"I was very pleased with what I saw today," he said.

Alexander said he wants to make sure that TVA is doing all it can to learn from the tragedy in Japan and that the six TVA reactors are operating as safely as possible.

Nuclear power produces 80 percent of the Tennessee Valley’s emissions-free electricity.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.