By Associated Press
Athens, AL – The third and final reactor at T-V-A's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant will be producing electricity again by the end of May if all goes as planned.
The entire plant, located on the banks of the Tennessee River, was shut down in the 1980s amid safety concerns. Two reactors were restarted in the '90s.
Officials with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the utility said at a meeting yesterday that after a five-year, nearly two (b) billion dollar renovation, the long-idle Unit One reactor is just weeks away from restarting after a 22-year break.
Decatur Mayor Don Kyle said the restart will be good for the region because it will ensure an ample supply of reasonably priced electricity.
A T-V-A spokesman said about 13-hundred tasks still must be done before the restart.
Unit One is the Tennessee Valley Authority's oldest nuclear powered generator.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)