The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors voted on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to delegate authority to the utility's chief executive to apply for nuclear reactor license extensions at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. The authority rests with Interim CEO Mike Skaggs. All votes taken at the quarterly business meeting in Knoxville were unanimous.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission records show the groundwork for the request. In a March 2024 notice of intent, TVA told the NRC it planned to submit a license renewal application for Watts Bar Unit 1 in the fourth quarter of 2026. The Unit 1 operating license was issued on Feb. 7, 1996, and is set to expire at midnight on Nov. 9, 2035. The NRC also scheduled a closed meeting with TVA for Oct. 1, 2026, to discuss license renewal plans for Watts Bar Units 1 and 2. The agency's website lists that meeting as canceled.
The NRC reviews renewal applications under its rules in 10 CFR Part 54, which govern license renewal for nuclear power plants. Renewals allow existing reactors to keep supplying the grid beyond their original license terms.
The decision comes as TVA, the nation's largest public utility, pursues capital investments of $13 billion through 2029 across natural gas, nuclear, storage, and grid infrastructure. The Times Free Press described the program as one of the largest capital spending campaigns in TVA's 93-year history, driven by rising demand from artificial intelligence data centers and manufacturing.
At the same meeting, the board approved a request from Crucible Zinc, a subsidiary of Korea Zinc, for more than 100 megawatts of power. The board currently has six of its nine possible members.
Source: Chattanooga Times Free Press - https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2026/nov/11/tva-board-approves-korea-zinc-power-watts-bar-application-see-all-votes/