The Tennessee Valley Authority invites the public to review and provide input on its draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) that was published this month, as well as an associated draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Public comments can be submitted now through Tuesday, November 26. Amy Edge, TVA Director of Customer and Community Relations stated... The draft IRP contains preliminary observations of options available to meet the region’s need for electricity in the future. The EIS is a study of potential environmental impacts of the options described in the IRP.
According to the TVA, several public meetings will be held throughout the months of October and November... The closest in-person meeting for Rutherford County residents will be held in Antioch, TN on October 28... Southeast Community Center has been confirmed as the location for that upcoming meeting at 5260 Hickory Hollow Parkway (#202) in Antioch. The community center is next to the Ford Ice Center and off of Bell Road.
Melanie Farrell, TVA vice president of valley engagement & strategy, 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.”
For more than a year, the IRP Working Group, which includes individuals from local power companies, directly served TVA customers, academia and research, state governments, environmental non-government organizations, customer associations, community stakeholders and other special interest groups, has worked closely with TVA to develop this draft.
Why is the IRP important? - In development since early 2023, the IRP examines economic, regulatory and market-driven scenarios which are outside TVA’s control, as well as strategies that TVA could utilize to respond to these scenarios while continuing to provide reliable power at the lowest possible cost.
“TVA is tasked with expanding our energy system so we can continue to support consumers’ needs and also grow with the region’s economy,” said TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash. “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.”
TVA is developing the IRP due to the region’s sustained growth in population and power demand, as well as changes in the utility marketplace. Those changes include evolving policies and regulations, industrial electrification, emerging clean energy technologies, and an increased focus on energy efficiency and carbon reduction efforts.
Though the 2025 IRP is not final, this draft contains preliminary observations:
- New capacity is needed in all scenarios to replace retiring and expiring capacity, support economic growth, and enable further electrification of the economy.
- Firm, dispatchable generation technologies are needed to ensure system reliability throughout the year.
- Solar expansion plays an increasingly substantial role, providing economic, carbon-free energy.
- Natural Gas expansion serves broad system needs, with the potential for emerging carbon capture and hydrogen options to enable deeper decarbonization.
- Energy Efficiency deployment reduces energy needs, particularly between now and 2035. Demand Response programs grow with the system and the use of smart technologies.
- Storage expansion accelerates, driven by evolving battery technologies and the potential for additional pumped storage.
- Wind additions have the potential to add more diversity and carbon-free energy to the resource mix.
- New nuclear technologies, with continued advancements, can support load growth and deeper decarbonization.
In all scenarios, TVA will continue to deliver affordable, reliable, resilient, and increasingly clean energy for the people in the region.
The draft IRP also reaffirms the work TVA has done to date to provide reliable, affordable and clean power for the future, including adding new gas and solar generation and energy efficiency and demand response programs to help meet expected load growth and retirement of existing assets.
Draft 2025 IRP Open House Schedule - TVA will host two webinars and 10 in-person meetings across the service territory beginning Oct 21 through Nov 22. The 10 in-person open houses will be held in the cities listed below (6:00 p.m. local time), and two virtual options will also be offered. “Click Here” for addresses and more.
- Public Open House in Murphy, NC – Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Bristol, VA – Oct.22 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Antioch, TN – Oct. 28 at 6 p.m.
- Virtual Webinar – Oct.30 at 6 p.m. CT
- Public Open House in Oak Ridge, TN – Nov. 4 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Hopkinsville, KY – Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Huntsville, AL – Nov. 12 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Starkville, MS – Nov. 13 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Memphis, TN – Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Rossville, GA – Nov. 20 at 6 p.m.
- Public Open House in Chattanooga, TN – Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.
- Virtual Webinar – Nov. 22 at 11:00 a.m. CT
Providing Input: The in-person events will each begin at 6 p.m. local time and public virtual webinars will be at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Oct. 30, and 11 a.m. CT/noon ET on Friday, Nov. 22. Anyone interested in participating in one of the webinars can register at www.tva.com/irp. A recorded version of the webinar will also be posted on that webpage, along with venues and start times for the in-person meetings. No registration is required for the in-person events.
How to Provide a Comment? - Comments will be accepted for the official record through November 26, 2024. TVA is accepting comments at the Open House events or in the following ways:
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Submit online at www.tva.com/irp
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Email at IRP@tva.gov
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Mail to Kelly Baxter, NEPA Project Manager, Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 W. Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B, Knoxville, TN 37902
