The Unit 1 reactor at TVA's Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant shut down unexpectedly around 2 p.m. today, TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said.
TVA is still investigating the cause of the trip, which occurred when the unit was at full power. Hopson said the reactor shutdown did not present any harm to plant operators or the public and TVA expects to restart the reactor once it determines the cause of the shut down and corrects any problem.
Reactors are designed to automatically shut down when problems or potential problems are discovered in plant equipment.
The Unit 2 reactor at Sequoyah continues to operate at full power, Hopson said.
Each of the reactors at the Sequoyah plant near Soddy-Daisy are capable of generating enough power to meet the electricity needs of two cities the size of Chattanooga.