TVA nuclear power staff
› Browns Ferry: Three reactors near Athens, Ala. employs about 900 TVA workers› Sequoyah: Two reactors near Soddy-Daisy, employs about 750-800 TVA employees› Watts Bar: Two reactors near Spring City, employs about 750-800 TVA employees› TVA nearly corporate and engineering staff: Based in Chattanooga Office of Power, employs about 1,000-1,100 TVA employeesSource: Tennessee Valley Authority
As it prepares to start up its last remaining unfinished nuclear reactor this summer, the Tennessee Valley Authority is preparing to cut its nuclear power staff to its lowest level since the federal utility launched America’s most ambitious nuclear construction program a half century ago.
TVA is offering the 3,500 employees in its nuclear unit incentives to voluntarily quit or retire within the next three months to help pare its staff and operating expenses to meet its fiscal 2017 budget targets. TVA has not announced yet how many jobs it intends to cut. But in a similar company-wide program over the previous three years, TVA eliminated about 2,000 jobs and reduced its overall staff to just over 10,000 employees.
At its peak in 1981 when TVA was building nuclear units across its seven-state region, TVA had 51,709 employees.
“We continually evaluate our business to determine the right way to keep our costs down while operating our units safely and efficiently,” TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said Thursday. “It’s an ongoing assessment of all of our business units to help meet our congressional mandate to keep our rates as low as possible.”