Agency forces action after Watts Bar Unit 2 falsification

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a Confirmatory Order to TVA, which agreed to a series of corrective actions regarding the falsification of work records at the Watts Bar Unit 2 construction project in 2010.

An NRC investigation concluded that two subcontractor employees deliberately falsified documents indicating required work had been done when in fact it had not been. Both subcontractor employees were prosecuted by the Department of Justice.

The Confirmatory Order stems from a settlement reached under the NRC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution process, which was initiated at the request of TVA. TVA has completed a series of corrective actions and process enhancements to ensure work is done correctly and records are accurate. NRC inspectors have verified that the work in question was completed as required.

The corrective actions included an internal review of the incident, a root cause and extent of condition review, procedural revisions and the implementation of training and fleet-wide communications related to the importance of following NRC regulations.

Copies of the Confirmatory Order will be posted on the NRC website at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/enforcement/actions.