The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant is located on the Tennessee River near Decatur and Athens, Alabama, on the north side (right bank) of Wheeler Lake. The nuclear power plant is named after a ferry that operated at the site until the middle of the 20th century.
The site has three General Electric boiling water reactor (BWR) nuclear generating units and is owned entirely by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Browns Ferry was TVA’s first nuclear power plant; its approval occurred on June 17, 1966 and construction began in September 1966.
Tornado – April 27, 2011
At 5:01 PM on April 27, 2011, all three reactors scrammed due to loss of external power caused by a tornado in the vicinity of the plant. Control rod insertion and cooling procedures operated as designed with no physical damage or release of radiation.
Diesel backup generators provided power after a brief period of outage. An NRC Unusual Event, the lowest level of emergency, was declared due to loss of power exceeding 15 minutes. Additionally, a small oil leak was found on one generator.
Due to widespread transmission grid damage from the storms and because of the shutdown of Browns Ferry, significant blackouts occurred throughout the Southeastern United States.
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