TVA plans to axe private security at nuclear plants

TENNESSEE - Security guards at Tennessee Valley AuthorityÂ’s three nuclear plants will no longer be provided by the private contractor Pinkerton Guard Services, TVA officials said.

“As a result of an evaluation that has been under way since late last year, TVA’s Nuclear Power Group will discontinue the use of security contract services and will assume all aspects of nuclear security functions during fiscal year 2009,” the emailed announcement said.

TVA, which had provided its own guards in-house until about ten years ago, did not yet have the schedule for the transition and will work with Pinkerton to develop a plan, it said.

“We are proud of the professionalism that our security forces demonstrate, and I have a high-level of confidence in the officers who protect our plants,” TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Bill Campbell said in the announcement.

“Our plants play a vital role in the Tennessee Valley’s energy supply, and they, like other nuclear power plants across the country, are among the most secure of the nation’s critical infrastructure,” Campbell said.

“The important role of security in our business was one of the key factors in deciding to bring the function in-house. By having the nuclear security force become part of TVA’s Nuclear Power Group, we will improve organizational alignment in the company and have more direct and effective management controls and lines of communication with the security workforce.

"Simply put, it allows us to further enhance our focus on and oversight of the most critical part of our business — ensuring the health and safety of our employees, the public and our plants.

“I am confident the standards of leadership and values held by TVA’s Nuclear Power Group will be embraced by security members joining our team,” said Campbell.

“They will be a great addition to the TVA organization, and we are looking forward to the improvements we believe in-house management of this function will bring as we continually look for ways to move forward.”