The Tennessee Valley Authority is inviting the public to review and provide input on its draft Integrated Resource Plan published on Sept. 23, as well as an associated draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The draft IRP contains preliminary observations of options available to meet the region’s need for electricity in the future, while the EIS is a study of potential environmental impacts of the options described in the IRP.
“Public participation in the IRP process is crucial, and we want to hear from everyone,” said Melanie Farrell, TVA vice president of valley engagement & strategy. “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.
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, it noted.
“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, the 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,” it said.
“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,” it said.
Public comments can be submitted through November 26.
