Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis and Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts closed out a public comment period on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s long-term energy plan with a strongly worded letter calling on the federal utility to slow its expansion of natural gas plants and to invest more in renewable energy.
The letter, sent to TVA’s CEO and board chair on Dec. 10 with the signatures of 10 Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent, says that “natural gas is not clean, reliable or affordable.”
It was a reaction to a draft of TVA’s integrated resource plan, a highly contested document laying out possible pathways the utility could take to meet demand for electricity by 2050.
Between the publication of the draft on Sept. 23 and the last day for public comment on Dec. 11, TVA received more than 2,200 official comments. TVA says it reviews the comments and revises the document based on feedback.
Depending on how fast the demand for electricity grows, TVA will need between 9 and 26 gigawatts of new electricity capacity by 2035, the draft says. One gigawatt is equivalent to around 1.9 million solar panels or 100 million LED lightbulbs, according to the Department of Energy.
While TVA planners said between 3 and 20 gigawatts could come from solar, they also said between 4 and 19 gigawatts could come from natural gas, a fossil fuel that has lower greenhouse gas emissions than coal.
TVA has announced 7 gigawatts of new gas plants since 2021 to replace its coal plants, one of the largest commitments to the fossil fuel of any U.S. utility, which TVA leaders argue will be a reliable bridge to cleaner energy sources. TVA generates more than half its electricity from carbon-free sources, thanks to its three nuclear plants and a system of hydroelectric dams.
Though it wants to add 5 gigawatts of solar by 2030, mostly purchased from private companies, critics argue TVA is moving too slowly on expanding renewable energy. Only 4% of TVA’s energy comes from solar and wind farms, almost none of which TVA owns itself.
“We look forward to your response explaining how TVA’s final (integrated resource plan) will allow it to lead the energy sector to a cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable future, instead of increasing its reliance on expensive, polluting, and unreliable natural gas,” the letter said.
While members of Congress celebrated a new payout for TVA executives based on renewable energy, they expressed concern that TVA would not meet its clean energy goals after building several large gas plants, which come with shifting fuel prices and the risk of methane leaks.
They also were skeptical of technologies aimed at reducing emissions of fossil plants, such as using carbon capture technology and blending hydrogen with gas, which they called “expensive experiments.”
Sen. Markey, a frequent TVA critic, provides limited oversight of the utility as chairman of the subcommittee on clean air, climate and nuclear safety. Though TVA is owned by the federal government, it operates largely like a private company.
Its primary source of oversight is a board whose members are nominated by the U.S. president and confirmed by the Senate, though the board has handed some decisions about new gas plants over to CEO Jeff Lyash.
A final version of the integrated resource plan will come before the TVA board for approval next spring.
In wide-ranging comments on the plan, various environmental and economic development groups told TVA it needed to focus more on programs that decrease energy demand. In 2023, TVA launched a $1.5 billion program to help homes, schools and businesses become more energy efficient, though some groups called for more transparency on how the money is being spent.
Here’s what other groups had to say about the draft.
Clean Up TVA
A petition circulated by Clean Up TVA, a coalition that includes environmental groups such as Appalachian Voices and the Center for Biological Diversity, reflected many of the comments its member organizations submitted. The petition gained 2,428 signatures
“This draft (integrated resource plan) – combined with TVA’s ongoing gas buildout – is unacceptable. TVA’s plans are way out of line with climate science, federal clean energy targets, the demands of Valley communities, and even TVA’s own mission to improve the quality of life of people in the region,” the petition said.
Sierra Club
The storied environmental group, which had a seat on TVA’s working group for the integrated resource plan, said its members submitted more than 1,000 comments urging the utility not to further commit to fossil fuels.
“As the largest federal utility in the nation, TVA has a duty to lead by example and pave the way towards a sustainable future that is free of dirty fossil fuels,” said Bonnie Swinford, an organizing strategist for the group’s Beyond Coal Campaign.
Southeast Sustainability Directors Network
The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network represents more than 125 local governments, including the city of Knoxville. The network told TVA it was underutilizing energy efficiency programs compared to other Southeast utilities and needed to include community opposition and gas price volatility in its decision making.
The network also raised concerns that TVA was not projecting a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions between 2035, when the utility plans to close its last coal plant, and 2050, when it aims to have a net-zero grid.
“(The Southeast Sustainability Directors Network) remains committed to supporting TVA in its journey toward a sustainable and resilient energy future,” said Executive Director Meg Jamison.
Southern Alliance for Clean Energy
Like other commenters, the Knoxville-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy called on TVA to publish an interim report with its preferred methods to meet energy demand by 2035.
While TVA has big solar ambitions, the center said the utility was not taking necessary actions to make them a reality, such as building its own solar farms and allowing local power companies to generate a higher percentage of their own power from solar.
“TVA should do more to attract good solar and storage projects by making it clear that TVA is serious about solar ambitions and making it easier to contract with TVA,” the group said.
Southern Environmental Law Center
In its comments, the center worried that large industrial projects like Elon Musk’s xAI supercomputer in Memphis would drive up electricity demand, costs for ratepayers and pollution if demand is met mostly with gas plants.
The center also asserted TVA had skewed its planning in favor of building gas plants, underestimating costs and overestimating benefits, while overlooking some benefits of solar paired with battery storage.
“TVA provides overly optimistic and aggressive assumptions regarding its ability to quickly build new gas plants,” the center said.
The center has multiple lawsuits pending against TVA on behalf of environmental groups, including a lawsuit alleging the utility violated planning laws for its future Kingston gas plant.
Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council
The economic development group, which advocates for cleaner and higher tech energy solutions in the state, was part of TVA’s working group for the integrated resource plan.
Its comments focused on the lack of transparency in TVA’s modeling assumptions, including the decreasing price of certain clean energy technologies. It also called on TVA to increase the amount of electricity it allows local power companies like KUB to generate themselves from solar, which is currently 5%.
The council made the case to TVA that it should expand solar and wind faster to meet the demand of large companies that want to power their operations with clean energy.
“In the same way that TVA has set goals for decarbonization of its system, many large corporations have ambitious plans tied to their electricity emissions profiles,” Cortney Piper, the council’s executive director, wrote. “We strongly encourage TVA to consider ways to integrate this corporate demand into resource needs.”
Daniel Dassow is a growth and development reporter focused on technology and energy. Phone 423-637-0878. Email daniel.dassow@knoxnews.com.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Members of Congress send TVA letter calling for less gas, more solar
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