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Social Media lead who took personal
responsibility for implementing the
digital communications strategy for
Unit 2.
The plan and timeline included
messaging tailored for the various
stakeholder audiences and were updated
by appropriate subject matter experts so
that members of the team could focus on
their individual outreach roles. The team
held a weekly alignment call to discuss
the actions under way and potential
challenges or roadblocks. The approach
eliminated duplication of efforts and
ensured effective, timely sharing of
information.
The
Nuclear
Communications
manager
had
responsibility
for
developing strategic communications
plans for each Unit 2 milestone, such as
the completion of major pre-operational
tests and key steps in the licensing
process. This included the many highly
visible public meetings held by the NRC
and TVA regulatory milestones such as
the filing of the substantially complete
letter with the NRC. These plans were
developed within the framework of the
stakeholder outreach team and drafts
were shared with all team members
throughout the development process.
This facilitated the creation of plans that
included perspectives from all disciplines
to create messaging tailored to specific
stakeholders. The process also made
certain that all stakeholder managers were
informed of pending milestones, plans
for appropriate stakeholder outreach and
were armed with detailed communication
packages that enabled well-informed and
factually consistent conversations with
targeted audiences. A key outcome in
this process was that stakeholders got the
news first and thereby felt fully engaged.
TVA partnered with the Nuclear
Energy Institute to extend its stakeholder
outreach
to
national
audiences,
particularly in policy, economic and
regulatory space. Members of the
stakeholder outreach team met with
NEI department heads to formulate
a communications strategy for the
organization that aligned with and
enhanced TVA’s communications. The
plan identified stakeholders with which
NEI had relationships and outlined
tactics for sharing outreach activities. A
primary focus was the use of NEI’s social
media channels to optimize audience
engagement. For example, NEI routinely
retweeted TVA tweets about Watts Bar
Unit 2, shared TVA’s Facebook posts and
used TVA messaging to craft blog posts
focusing on the unit’s milestones. NEI’s
Mitch Singer produced a series of Watts
Bar Unit 2 videos that were posted on
the organization’s digital channels. The
videos highlighted safety enhancements
such as FLEX implementation, as well
as economic impact through interviews
with local elected officials and business
leaders.
Indicative of TVA senior executive
outreach engagement was the video
TVA Chief Nuclear Officer Joe Grimes
recorded during NEI’s 2015 Nuclear
Energy Assembly, discussing Watts Bar’s
status and its importance to the nation
from a regulatory, environmental and
economic standpoint.
A highly visible undertaking in the
NEI partnership were the visits to the
Watts Bar station and East Tennessee
by the co-chairs of the CASEnergy
Coalition and hosted by TVA. Visits by
Governor Christine Todd Whitman and
Ambassador Ron Kirk resulted in strong
regional media coverage and impactful
stakeholder engagement. This visibility
helped advance the dialogue on the
benefits of clean, safe and affordable
nuclear energy and underscored TVA’s
commitment to completing Unit 2 in a
safe and quality manner.
Innovation Impact
Two strategic issues relating to Watts
Bar Unit 2 were of particular concern
early on: A need to raise confidence
among key stakeholders by giving them
a first-hand look at the plant, and the
need to address critics’ comments that
the unit was out of date. To familiarize
stakeholders with the unit and highlight its
features, the team instituted an extensive
series of stakeholder briefings and tours
at the site and established the Watts Bar
Community Action Panel. To address
critics’ comments that the unit was out
of date, the team developed a theme and
graphic that identified Watts Bar Unit 2
as the “First New Nuclear Generation”
of the 21st Century, reflecting the
extensive replacement and refurbishment
of the unit’s systems, components and
equipment to meet the latest nuclear
safety standards and regulations.
Formed specifically to facilitate
open and candid dialogue about Watts
Bar Unit 2 between TVA leadership
and key stakeholders – both those who
supported and opposed completion of
the unit – the Community Action Panel
is among the key innovative features of
the outreach initiative. Those invited
to join the group included anti-nuclear
advocates and environmental activists,
community and business leaders, local
elected officials and plant neighbors.
TVA Nuclear executive leadership placed
Delivering the nuclear promise
around the world since 1948.
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