Spring City, TN (WOKI / WVLT) – Watts Bar Nuclear Plant is celebrating three decades of operation as the Tennessee Valley Authority looks toward a major expansion of electric generation and a growing need for skilled workers across the region.
TVA opened the Rhea County facility to media on Wednesday for a rare behind-the-scenes tour marking the plant’s 30th anniversary. Officials highlighted the role Watts Bar plays in providing reliable, carbon-free electricity while emphasizing the need to build the next generation of workers to support future growth.
Located near Spring City, Watts Bar Nuclear Plant supplies around-the-clock electricity to customers across TVA’s seven-state service territory. The facility operates regardless of weather conditions and remains a key part of the authority’s energy portfolio.
TVA Planning Major Growth
TVA officials said the utility is moving forward with its largest generation expansion ever, with plans totaling approximately 6,200 megawatts of new power generation.
More than 3,700 megawatts are already under construction, enough electricity to power roughly 2 million homes.
Matt Rasmussen, TVA’s chief nuclear officer, said nuclear energy provides more than 40% of the utility’s baseload power generation and remains one of TVA’s most dependable energy sources.
“It’s carbon-free, but it’s also highly reliable,” Rasmussen said. “It’s there for you 24 hours a day, no matter sun or shine. It is what energy’s supposed to be — abundant, low-cost.”
Rasmussen’s career with TVA spans nearly a quarter-century. He began as an engineer at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant before advancing through operational leadership roles to oversee TVA’s nuclear fleet, now one of the largest in the nation.
Workforce Shortage Becomes Growing Concern
As TVA expands its generation capacity, officials say finding enough qualified workers could become one of the industry’s greatest challenges.
Jamie Choate, TVA’s senior director of workforce strategy and enablement, said the nation could face a shortage of as many as 500,000 skilled workers within the next several years.
Within the Tennessee Valley alone, TVA projects a need for approximately 5,000 additional skilled workers.
“We’re really working hard with our community partners, our industry and our education partners and local unions to start building those pipelines and bring the young generation into the workforce as early as we can,” Choate said.
The most in-demand positions include pipe fitters, welders, electricians and boilermakers.
Choate emphasized that those positions often provide six-figure incomes and long-term job stability.
“These aren’t just jobs — these are careers,” she said. “These are six-figure jobs, and we have steady work for decades to come.”
Alternative Pathways Into The Workforce
TVA leaders say many of these careers do not require a traditional four-year college degree.
Instead, career and technical education programs, apprenticeships, labor unions and Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology are helping create pathways into high-demand trades.
Choate noted that she began her own TVA career through an apprenticeship program more than 24 years ago.
Training The Next Generation
At Watts Bar, training programs now utilize virtual reality technology, advanced simulations and digital learning tools to prepare workers for careers in nuclear operations and maintenance.
Jim Schilling, the plant’s maintenance and technical training manager, said the workforce includes employees from a wide variety of educational backgrounds, including high school graduates, technical school students, military veterans and college graduates.
“The entry gate is wide open for any and all folks, whether you have a technical background or a high school diploma,” Schilling said.
Schilling, a Lenoir City native and former nuclear Navy submariner, joined Watts Bar during the startup of Unit 2 and now oversees training programs for employees working across both reactor units.
He said one of his proudest accomplishments has been helping bring Watts Bar Unit 2 online in 2016, the first new nuclear reactor completed in the United States in roughly two decades. Unit 1 began commercial operation in 1996.
“That’s a huge accomplishment for not only TVA, but the Valley itself,” Schilling said.
Looking Toward The Future
TVA officials say skilled trade workers remain essential to operating and maintaining the region’s growing energy infrastructure.
“You can’t run this plant without people willing to get their hands on the equipment,” Schilling said.
Rasmussen encouraged young people and career changers to consider opportunities in the skilled trades and energy industry.
“Bet on yourself a little bit,” Rasmussen said. “Can I be a nuclear reactor operator? Can I be a pipe fitter? Can I be a boilermaker? And the answer is absolutely yes.”
TVA is currently recruiting workers for a variety of skilled trade positions as it prepares for continued growth throughout the Tennessee Valley. Officials say the demand for trained workers is expected to remain strong for decades as major energy projects move forward.
