2nd largest plant in Tennessee · 30th nationally
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant is a nuclear power plant in Tennessee with a nameplate capacity of 2,540 MW. It generates roughly 18.7M MWh per year — enough to power about 1,781,889 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 84% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation.
| Plant Name | Watts Bar Nuclear Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| City | Spring City |
| County | Rhea County |
| State | Tennessee |
| ZIP | 37381 |
| Coordinates | 35.60210, -84.78950 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,270 MW | Operating | 1996 |
| 2 | Nuclear | Uranium | 1,270 MW | Operating | 2016 |
| NERC Region | SERC |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Tennessee Valley Authority |
Nuclear plants generate carbon-free baseload electricity by fissioning uranium fuel inside a reactor. They run nearly around-the-clock — typical capacity factors above 90% — and a single facility can power millions of homes. Spent fuel is stored on-site in dry casks. NRC oversees safety; emergency planning zones extend 10 miles from the reactor.