Watts Bar Nuclear Units 1 and 2 License Renewal

Rhea County, Tennessee

On September 8, 2026, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) released the Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for Watts Bar Nuclear (WBN) Units 1 and 2 License Renewal. TVA must decide whether to submit a License Renewal Application (LRA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to renew the operating licenses of WBN Units 1 and 2 for an additional 20 years beyond their current license expiration dates (February 7, 2036 for Unit 1 and October 21, 2055, for Unit 2). WBN provides approximately 2,300 megawatts (MW) electric (MWe) baseload generation that supports forecasted system needs by helping to maintain grid stability and generating capacity for TVA’s generation portfolio mix. In 2024, WBN produced approximately 12 percent of TVA’s total power supply. Additionally, under agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), WBN supplies tritium to DOE for national security purposes.

The purpose and need for the proposed action is to enable TVA to consider extending the current term of the nuclear power plant operating licensing to continue 1) operation for future system generation needs and 2) tritium production for DOE.

Renewal of the current operating license would allow WBN Units 1 and 2 to continue supplying reliable and cost-effective baseload generation for an additional 20 years beyond their current license terms, thereby supporting TVA’s statutory responsibility to provide low-cost, dependable power to the Tennessee Valley region.

Public Involvement

TVA published the Draft SEA for agency and public review from May 28 to June 26, 2026. Two comments were received; however, they did not result in substantial changes to the SEA contents or conclusions.