On Tuesday afternoon, around 12:30 p.m., the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Plant (also known as the Kingston Steam Plant) received a reported bomb threat concerning one of its buildings. This prompted the precautionary evacuation of that specific building and, more broadly, hundreds of employees from the site.

Kingston Police sealed off Swan Pond Road at its intersection with Highway 70, with assistance from the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, which closed the road near Swan Pond Circle. No one was permitted to access Swan Pond Road from Highway 70, and residents in areas like Swan Pond East and Swan Pond Circle had to reach their homes via the Harriman side. Police Chief Jim Walsham and officers were on scene directing traffic at the Highway 70 and Swan Pond Road intersection, as well as at the plant entrance, while vehicles exited one by one onto Highway 70. The traffic management and evacuation process continued until approximately 2:15 p.m.

We reached out to Scott Brooks, TVA’s information officer and public relations director, who stated: “The safety and security of our employees is our number one priority. We are cooperating fully with authorities as they investigate an alleged threat at the Kingston energy complex. We have no further information to share at this time.” This response was received around 1:08 p.m.

No additional details have been released regarding the credibility of the threat, any findings from the investigation, or whether a device was located. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available from TVA and authorities on the scene.