When your most reliable energy source keeps calling in sick, customers tend to notice.

What's happening?

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which is a major utility serving more than 10 million people in the Southeast, is facing criticism after data revealed its nuclear reactors shut down unexpectedly 12 times over the past year.

According to a WPLN News review of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission records, these outages affected all seven of TVA's reactors. This led to the lowest use of nuclear power the agency has reported since 2007.

The longest outage, which lasted nearly 11 months, occurred at the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant in Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee. Even after the plant came back online, another system-wide failure struck during a severe heatwave just a day later. 

This unacceptable incident led to the resignation of TVA's top nuclear official, Tim Rausch. 

Why are nuclear plant outages important?

TVA confirmed that the outages forced it to rely more heavily on natural gas and coal. This completely defeats one of the main positives that come from nuclear energy, which is the reduced production of polluting gases. While imperfect, nuclear energy is often considered a crucial low-carbon power source that can complement renewables like wind and solar.

"Fuel expenses are higher than projected for FY25 so far," TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks said in a statement to WPLN News.

These outages exposed how disruptions in large-scale nuclear operations can ripple through the energy system. These outages undeniably lead to higher consumer bills and increased pollution.

Looking at the numbers, TVA's nuclear output dropped by about 30% between late 2024 and mid-2025 compared to the previous year. Dirty energy such as natural gas and coal filled more than 90% of that gap.

This shift increased toxic air pollution from TVA's coal and gas plants, which already rank among Tennessee's top polluters.

What's your biggest concern about nuclear energy? The possibility of meltdowns ☢️ The waste it creates 😷 The way reactors look 🏭 No concerns here! 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What's being done about reactor failure?

TVA said it's investing in equipment upgrades and long-term maintenance to prevent similar disruptions, including replacing aging generators expected to last another four decades.

Around the world, operators and regulators are investing heavily in modernization, predictive maintenance, and next-generation designs. For instance, existing plants are being retrofitted with digital instrumentation and control systems to detect faults earlier and with greater precision.

Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.