by Alan Wooten
Plans to meet electricity demand for the next 25 years by the Tennessee Valley Authority are out, open to a public comment period, and already drawing the ire of multiple advocacy groups.
The Integrated Resource Plan, as it is known, also has an Environmental Impact Statement drafted alongside. Public comments are being taken through Nov. 26.
In a statement, Vice President Melanie Farrell said, “As we plan for our region’s energy future, we need different perspectives and ideas. After the comment period, we will take time to review all of the comments received. We will work with the IRP Working Group to incorporate the comments into the final plan, which we anticipate issuing next year.”
Farrell oversees valley engagement and strategy.
The plan includes new capacity needs; firm, dispatchable generation technologies; solar expansion; natural gas expansion; energy efficiency deployment; storage expansion; wind additions; and new nuclear technologies.
The CleanUpTVA coalition, in a statement, said it was disappointed to see more gas expansion.
“This is a critical juncture in TVA’s history,” said Leah McCord, “and our public utility should commit to a long-term energy plan that lowers electric bills, reduces pollution and provides reliable power by building more clean and renewable resources instead of fossil fuels.”
McCord is facilitator of the CleanUpTVA coalition, and Tennessee projects coordinator of Appalachian Voices.
The Tennessee Valley Authority serves about 10 million customers.
The Sierra Club was also critical, saying in part, “Not only do TVA’s benchmarks fall short of the federal guidelines, but they are also unattainable based on the IRP released today, which proposes up to 19 GW of gas-powered electricity. According to the IRP, a majority of its proposed scenarios fail to reach an 80 percent carbon reduction by 2035.”
TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash said serving the people was the main goal. The TVA pledges to “deliver affordable, reliable, resilient, and increasingly clean energy for the people in the region.”
“TVA is tasked with expanding our energy system so we can continue to support consumers’ needs and also grow with the region’s economy. Working with others, our objective is to find practical solutions that move us in the right direction with the goal of serving the communities and people across this region,” Lyash said.
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Alan Wooten is a managing editor at The Center Square.
Photo “TVA Working” by Tennessee Valley Authority.
