Tennessee Valley Authority May 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

TVA is working to build an energy system powered by cleaner, more flexible energy, and solar and storage will play a big role. TVA has an expansion target of 10,000 megawatts (MW) of solar by 2035. TVA has identified the need to respond more efficiently and effectively to the growing number of solar and battery projects that will be required to achieve TVA's overall decarbonization goals and aspirations. To meet its obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), TVA is preparing a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to develop new guidance and a bounding analysis that will further facilitate solar energy and battery energy storage development on TVA- owned and private lands within the TVA service area. TVA would consider this guidance, including recommended environmental practices and mitigation measures, in its decision-making processes.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is conducting a study of its energy resources. The Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a comprehensive study of how TVA will meet the demand for electricity in its service territory. TVA's most recent IRP was adopted by the TVA Board in 2019. As part of this new study, TVA will prepare a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the impacts associated with the implementation of the next IRP. The EIS analyzes significant environmental impacts to the combined TVA power service area and the Tennessee River watershed (TVA region) that could result from the targeted power supply mix studied in the IRP. TVA will use the EIS process to elicit and prioritize the values and concerns of stakeholders; identify issues, trends, events, and tradeoffs affecting TVA's policies; formulate, evaluate, and compare alternative portfolios of energy resource options; provide opportunities for public review and comment; and ensure that TVA's evaluation of alternative energy resource strategies reflects a full range of stakeholder input. Public comment is invited concerning both the scope of the EIS and environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS.