New York Times: Construction of the first reactor at the Watts Bar nuclear plant began in 1973. The reactor, which was plagued by poor construction and failures to meet regulations, did not begin running until 1996. And because the Tennessee Valley Authority had overestimated its need for nuclear power, construction on the second reactor was halted until 2007. Although an initial cost estimate for completion of the second reactor was $2.5 billion, the need to replace outdated and poorly maintained equipment and update the construction to meet modern safety and security requirements pushed that price to $4.3 billion. If the second reactor is approved to begin operations, it could load its fuel as early as this summer.
