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AREVA North America Projects - Bellefonte
Bellefonte Nuclear Project
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board voted to complete the Bellefonte 1 nuclear power plant. As the owner of the reactor design, AREVA will be a key member of the team of contract partners helping TVA complete the partially finished plant in northern Alabama.
TVA selected AREVA last year to perform limited engineering and related support work for the reactor’s nuclear steam supply system in anticipation of the possible completion of Bellefonte 1. To support final completion of the unit, AREVA will carry out engineering, construction and component-replacement work on the plant’s nuclear systems.
AREVA also will supply a state-of-the-art digital reactor Instrumentation & Control (I&C) system, a completely modernized control room, and a plant simulator for training operations personnel. AREVA’s TELEPERM® XS is the only digital I&C system licensed and operating in a U.S. nuclear plant.
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Customer
Bellefonte Customer - TVA
Plant site
- Location: Hollywood, Ala.
- Acreage: 1,500 acres on Guntersville Lake
Design type
- Bellefonte Unit 1 is a B&W 205 design, pressurized water reactor with an electrical output of 1,260 megawatts -- equal to the electricity needs of about 750,000 homes.
- Fuel: Reactor core holds 205 fuel assemblies, each containing 264 fuel rods. Each rod contains 354 pellets of low-enriched uranium dioxide fuel. The 12 cubic feet of fuel in the reactor will provide the energy of 2.8 billion gallons of oil.
When completed, the facility will be among the safest, most advanced nuclear units in the nation, producing enough emission-free electricity to supply approximately 750,000 households. It will meet or exceed current regulatory standards for natural disasters, including tornadoes, floods and earthquakes. And it will incorporate lessons learned from the earthquake and tsunami at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, including all regulatory requirements and industry recommendations resulting from that event.
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Contract
Bellefonte Contract
As part of this $4.5-$5 billion project, AREVA will carry out engineering, construction and component-replacement work on the plant’s nuclear systems. AREVA also will supply a state-of-the-art digital reactor Instrumentation & Control (I&C) system, advanced plant control room, and a plant simulator for training operations personnel.
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Economic Impact
Economic Impact
- The project would create about 2,800 jobs during construction and about 650 permanent jobs after the unit begins operating.
AREVA currently has 350 full-time employees working on the project, with over 500 full-time employees anticipated at the peak of construction. - Local, state and federal payroll taxes are estimated to amount to over $50 million/year during construction with approximately $100 million projected during the peak year of construction.
- The project would create about 2,800 jobs during construction and about 650 permanent jobs after the unit begins operating.
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Milestones
Project Milestones
- August 2011 – The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board votes to complete the Bellefonte 1 nuclear power plant.
- 2018-2020 – Anticipated commercial operation begins for Bellefonte Unit 1.
Video - Bellefonte Walkthrough
Go inside the Bellefonte facility on a narrated video tour with TVA Chief Operating Officer Bill McCollum (8 minutes).
TVA Bellefonte Website
Bellefonte's output will be equal to the electricity needs of 750,000 homes, and its power will cost less than most other energy alternatives.
