The Watts Bar nuclear power station in Tennessee. Courtesy TVA. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved a request by the Tennessee Valley Authority to increase the generating capacity of Watts Bar-2 nuclear power plant in Tennessee by 1.4%.

The NRC staff determined that TVA could safely increase the reactor’s output, primarily through more accurate means of measuring feedwater flow. NRC staff also reviewed the TVA evaluations demonstrating that the plant’s design can safely handle the increased power level.

The power uprate for Unit 2 will increase the unit’s generating capacity from approximately 1,223 MW to 1,240 MW, the NRC said. TVA intends to implement the uprate by mid-December 2020.

Watts Bar-2 is a Westinghouse 4LP pressurised water reactor that began commercial operation in October 2016. Watts Bar-1, also a Westinghouse 4LP PWR, began commercial operation in May 1996.