Browns Ferry Begins Largest Turbine Upgrade Since Construction; Installs Innovative Fuel Assemblies In Reactor Monday, March 1, 2021
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant Unit 2 started a scheduled refueling and maintenance outage this past weekend after generating more than 19 billion kilowatt-hours of carbon-free electricity in 654 days of reliable operation. This outage includes the largest scope of turbine deck work since original construction and innovations in fuel assembly components.
All three of the unit’s low-pressure turbines will undergo a comprehensive replacement of major components, including new rotors, inner casings, steam piping and bellows and turbine supervisory instruments. These tasks will require the support of more than 500 additional outage workers and an incredible amount of heavy lifting – with 600 separate crane lifts of components such as rotors weighing up to 327,888 pounds and inner casings weighing up to 200,000