Watts Bar nuclear power plant 1
Gross capacity
1,210MW
Watts Bar nuclear power plant 1 is a pressurised water reactor unit at Watts Bar nuclear power plant in United States rated at 1,210 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 27 May 1996.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised water reactor (PWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | WH 4LP (ICECND) |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Light water |
| Moderator | Light water |
| Gross capacity | 1,210MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 1,157MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 1,218MW |
| Thermal output | 3,459MWt |
| Typical enrichment | 3–5% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Watts Bar nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 1 |
| Country | United States |
| Owner | Tennessee Valley Authority100% |
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Coordinates | 35.6021, -84.7895 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Uranium dioxide pellets in zirconium-alloy cladding
Enrichment
3–5% U-235
Who makes this assembly
- China National Nuclear Corporation PWR fuel assemblies
- ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas PWR and BWR fuel assemblies
- Framatome PWR fuel assemblies
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel PWR fuel assemblies
- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries PWR fuel assemblies
- Westinghouse Electric Company PWR fuel assemblies
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 20 Jul 1973Construction start
- 1 Jan 1996First criticality
- 6 Feb 1996Grid connection
- 27 May 1996Commercial operation
Other units at Watts Bar nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Watts Bar nuclear power plant 2 | 1,218 |
Other WH 4LP (ICECND) units
8 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,188 | |
| Catawba nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,188 | |
| McGuire nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,215 | |
| McGuire nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,215 | |
| Sequoyah nuclear power plant 1 | United States | 1,221 | |
| Sequoyah nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,200 | |
| Watts Bar nuclear power plant 2 | United States | 1,218 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-29
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted