No foul play in fire at hydroelectric plant

SPRING CITY, Tenn. - Investigators continue to look for the cause of a fire last month at a hydroelectric plant near the Watts Bar nuclear station, but have ruled out foul play.<br> <br> The Sept. 27 fire caused the Tennessee Valley Authority to cut off auxiliary power to the nuclear plant. Five workers suffered minor injuries. The TVA power system, which serves seven southern states, was not compromised.<br> <br> &#34;There is still no time estimate on how long it will take to make the required repairs to bring the hydroelectric units back into service,&#34; said TVA spokesman Phillip Ivey on Sunday.<br> <br> The hydroelectric plant provides electricity to the entire TVA power grid and serves as a backup electricity source for the nuclear plant, which runs on its own power.<br> <br> When the hydroelectric plant stopped providing power for the nuclear plant, TVA substituted emergency diesel generators to make sure there was enough power to operate safety systems, said Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials.<br> <br> A temporary power connection has been installed by a TVA distributor, The Volunteer Electric Cooperative, to replace the hydroelectric plant until it is back running, Ivey said.<br> <br> Investigators from the Watts Bar plant fire unit, TVA&#39;s Inspector General&#39;s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms have determined that there was no criminal cause for the fire, Ivey said.<br> <br> The five units that generate power in the hydroelectric plant were not affected, but the central control room was damaged, Ivey said.<br> <br> The hydroelectric plant dates back to 1942, and has a generation capacity of 145 megawatts. It is one of 29 hydroelectric plants operated by TVA, accounting for 12 percent of its total power output.<br> <br> TVA provides electricity to some 8.3 million people through 158 distributors in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.<br> <br> Spring City is about 50 miles south of Knoxville.<br> <br>

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