Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant

Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant – TVA’s first nuclear plant – is located on 840 acres beside Wheeler Reservoir on the Tennessee River, near Athens, Alabama. The plant is named after a ferry that operated at the site until the middle of the 20th century.

The plant consists of three General Electric boiling water reactors. Units 2 and 3 are capable of producing enough electricity to supply the needs of about 1.3 million homes every day. Unit 1 returned to service in June 2007 following upgrades.

Operating history

• Major construction began in 1967.
• Unit 1 began commercial operation on August 1, 1974.
• Unit 2 began commercial operation on March 1, 1975.
• Unit 3 began commercial operation on March 1, 1977.
• Unit 1 is currently accruing its longest continous run. As of June 17, 2008, Unit 1 has operated for 216 days.
• The longest continuous operating run for Unit 2 is 335 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes, from October 30, 1997, to October 1, 1998.
• The longest continuous operating run for Unit 3 is 669 days, 9 hours, and 15 minutes, from May 25, 2000, to March 26, 2002. That’s a record for TVA Nuclear and the second-longest run for all U.S. nuclear plants.

Site Leadership

• Rusty West, Site Vice President