WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT
OperatingNuclear power plant
- Capacity
- 1,270 MW
- Primary fuel
- Nuclear
- County
- Rhea County
- Operator
- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1996
- EIA plant ID
- 7722
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Nuclear
- Net generation (2024)
- 18,759 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 84%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 35.6021, -84.7895
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT, a 1,270 MW Nuclear power plant in Rhea County, Tennessee. Operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned 1996.
How WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT compares
With 1,270 MW of capacity, WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT ranks 9th among the 53 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Tennessee and is the smallest of the 2 operating Nuclear plants in the state. It accounts for about 34% of Tennessee's operating Nuclear capacity and 6.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 37th-largest of the 55 operating Nuclear plants in the database. Commissioned in 1996, it is newer than 71% of the 53 operating Tennessee plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, runs 32 operating plants in Tennessee totaling 19,142 MW. It shares Rhea County with one other operating plant, WATTS BAR HYDRO.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 2,540 MW of nameplate capacity, all nuclear technology (this page's HIFLD capacity figure is 1,270 MW). Net generation was 18,759 GWh in 2024 (an 84% capacity factor), up 12% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1996 and 2016.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is SPRING CITY, about 6.9 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 500 kV line owned by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, under 0.1 miles away. One other operating power plant sits within 25 miles: WATTS BAR HYDRO (175 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
WATTS BAR NUCLEAR PLANT is a 1,270 MW nuclear power plant in Rhea County, TN, operated by TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY, commissioned in 1996. Rhea County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.2 of 5 at the 29th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 90th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a nuclear plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Rhea County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 90th | 4.6 of 5 | 60.7 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 1.1 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 84th | 4.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 72nd | 3.9 of 5 | 3.8 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 64th | 3.6 of 5 | 4.9 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 59th | 3.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.17 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 48th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.02 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.49 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 3.4 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | 1.7 |
Perils not assessed in Rhea County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Rhea County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.