TVA restarts Sequoyah reactor after refueling outage
The Tennessee Valley Authority resumed power generation Tuesday night at its newest reactor at the Sequoyah Nuclear Power Plant after completing its refueling and maintenance outage in 39 days. The refueling of the Unit 2 reactor at Sequoyah is the third reactor TVA has refueled in 2021, following similar refueling outages at Browns Ferry Unit 2 and Sequoyah Unit 1.
Plant operators on Wednesday are returning the Unit 2 reactor at Sequoyah to its full capacity, generating enough power for 650,000 homes.
“The entire Sequoyah team, supported by our valued union and contract partners, safely completed over 14,500 work activities during the outage,” said Tom Marshall, Sequoyah site vice president. “The work we performed together puts Unit 2 in the best position to continue to operate safely and reliably over the next 18-month cycle.”
In addition to replacing 81 of the unit’s 193 fuel assemblies, detailed inspections of various plant systems were conducted to confirm all components are fully able to perform their safety functions. Other major maintenance activities included replacing or refurbishing several motors, valves and other plant components.
TVA’s nuclear fleet of seven reactors is the third largest in the nation and provides more than 40% of TVA’s power.
Fusion energy firm locates in Oak Ridge
General Fusion Corp., announced Wednesday it will establish its first U.S. operations in Tennessee by locating its U.S. headquarters in Oak Ridge.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, General Fusion will initially invest $539,000 and create 20 new jobs in Anderson County over the next five years.
Founded in 2002, General Fusion is working to transform the world’s energy supply with practical fusion energy. The company’s new U.S. headquarters will enhance its technology commercialization program, managing its work with national laboratories such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, universities and the U.S. government.
“Oak Ridge, Tennessee is the ideal location for our new U.S. headquarters,” said Christofer Mowry, CEO, General Fusion. “Our new presence in Tennessee also gives us the platform to build stronger partnerships within the region and across the U.S., providing the more robust technical capabilities and competencies necessary for General Fusion to deliver clean fusion power by the 2030s.”
30-year mortgage rates dip below 3%
Average long-term mortgage rates in the U.S. fell this week, as the key 30-year rate again retreated below the 3% mark.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Wednesday that the average rate on the benchmark home loan declined to 2.98% from 3.09% last week. Last year at this time the rate stood at 2.84%.
The rate for a 15-year loan, a popular option for homeowners refinancing their mortgages, fell to 2.27% from 2.35% last week.
Rates remain historically low, though limited inventory and rising prices are leaving many potential homebuyers on the sidelines.
Freddie Mac economists attributed the latest decline in mortgage rates to a recent rally in prices in the Treasury bond market, which saw yields on key Treasurys falling to their lowest level since July. Long-term bond yields, which can influence rates on mortgages and other consumer loans, generally fall when bond prices rise.
Ford, Purdue develop EV charging cables
Ford and Purdue University are partnering to develop a new charging station cable compatible with vehicle charging technology still being developed with hopes of making a broader transition to electric vehicles possible.
Purdue researchers are trying to develop an alternative cooling method to prevent battery overheating with a charging cable that can deliver an increased current. The cable uses liquid as an active cooling agent, which can help extract more heat from the cable.
If successful, it would deliver significantly more power than the current technology used to re-charge electric vehicles, potentially speeding up the process if used with technology that is being developed now.
Researchers say charging times for electric vehicles could eventually be on par with filling up a car at a gas station.
– Compiled by Dave Flessner