The Tennessee Valley Authority TVA is one of the largest producers of electric power in the world Originally established during the Great Depression to improve navigation on the Tennessee River and its tribu taries increase economic development and generate electricity in the process its mission shifted decisively toward power production to meet the demands for more electric power during the global conflict of the 1940s and in particular secret weapons development projects After the war as hydropower reached its full development potential the TVA began to build conventional fossil fuel powered electric plants too One of those power stations is in Gallatin Tennessee a quiet community about 25 miles north of Nashville named in honor of Albert Gallatin a linguist and ethnologist who was a congressman senator United States ambassador and secretary of the treasury TVA construction at Gallatin began in 1953 on the north bank of the Cum berland River and was completed in 1959 Although TVA s presence in the region and in the Gallatin community is normally unobtrusive that changed abruptly on June 19 1974 with a sudden calamitous equipment failure on the Gallatin II turbine generator According to a contemporary Associated Press report the 250 000 kilo watt steam turbine exploded without warning launching large segments of the machine through the roof of the building The accident happened about 6 a m as the unit which had been shut down for minor boiler repairs was being readied for a return to service through a cold start procedure In the immediate aftermath a TVA spokesman told reporters the generating unit was severely damaged when a steam turbine shaft failed TURBINE TROUBLES A historic equipment loss and what could have been done differently to achieve a better outcome 10 REASON ISSUE 2 2015

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