The Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Jackson County has sat inactive and incomplete since the Tennessee Valley Authority halted construction in 1988. After several efforts to revive the project, State Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) said the site could soon produce power.
“TVA is looking at some sort of power generation out there in the future,” Livingston said on a recent episode of FM Talk 1065’s “The Jeff Poor Show." “It may be what they would classify as small modular nuclear reactors, SMRs. We'd love to see some combination of something happen out there. They're a little bit behind the curve ball.”
Livingston said while other power companies like Alabama Power and Southern Company were investing in producing more power around 2010, TVA was scaling down. As the area’s population has grown, adequate power supply is becoming an issue, as seen during the rolling blackouts during Christmas 2022.
The relevant portion begins around the 3:25 mark.
“You got all the growth coming in Tennessee Valley here, they've got to do something for power generation for the future to take care of our needs,” Livingston said.
“It is a ghost town. There's not much activity going on out there… It was basically 85% complete when they walked away from it,” he continued. “They had an opportunity to sell it to a private investor and have an investment with a private investor. And they tried to make that happen, and it didn't happen at the last minute for multiple reasons. But in the meantime, you know, the valley's sitting there with this eye sore.”
Livingston said the TVA couldn’t complete the remaining 15% of the plant due to Congressional debt limits, meaning the type and amount of power produced may vary from the previously proposed four-reactor plans.
“They are now saying that some of the scrap stuff they've taken out, they can't be replaced and all the above. So the plant itself, as it is there, won't come back as a nuclear facility," he said. "They could take small modular reactors or maybe even the model that Southern Company used down at Vogel III and IV of the AP-1000s and come back in. Cooling towers and shapes, they could be used. Some of the reactors probably can be used out there. They just have to be rebuilt in some capacity.”
TVA spokesman Scott Fielder confirmed to 1819 News that the TVA was looking at ways to utilize the Bellefonte site, but no decisions have been made, including “any potential generation at the site.” Whatever they decide to do, Livingston said it could bring thousands of new jobs to the area.
“That's five, six thousand jobs when they're building out there for probably five years consecutively. It'll ramp up and ramp back down, but you know, that's a huge economic investment there.”
To connect with the story's author or comment, email daniel.taylor@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
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