Connecting the TVA Region Through Energy, Environment and Economic Development (continued)

For residents and businesses of the TVA region, an average temperature of 6 degrees on January 24, 2003, went beyond cold. TVA was able to meet its all-time peak power system demand of 29,866 megawatts that morning, in the same reliable way it was able to meet the previous record demand of 29,344 megawatts on a hot day in August 2000.

TVA is doing more than meeting weather-related demands; it has reduced the frequency of power interruptions to its customers by 51 percent in the past seven years and the duration of customer interruptions by 55 percent in the past four years.

TVA’s transmission system is strong and resilient. The 2003 blackout that affected so much of the midwestern and northeastern U.S. has made it apparent that a focus on new generation is not enough. TVA is committed to doing its part to improve the nation’s power grid by working closely with those connecting new generation to the TVA system and with neighboring transmission providers to coordinate service.

This focus includes a new partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to create the National Transmission Technology Research Center in Oak Ridge. With this center, TVA is able to embrace advances in material sciences to deploy power lines that carry more electricity, capacitors that keep voltages stable, and high-speed switches that can react instantly to problems on the grid.

Millions of people call the TVA region home, and thousands of businesses rely on the region’s waterways. To them, the river is more than a power source. It’s a place for play and a place of beauty. It provides transportation and increases profits.

That’s why TVA has conducted a comprehensive two-year Reservoir Operations Study. The results — based on state-of-the-art analytical tools and input from thousands of residents of the region — will show whether changes in the operation of TVA reservoirs would produce greater public value. The TVA Board is expected to make a decision in 2004 after considering many factors, including recommendations from TVA staff and comments from the public and other interested parties.

TVA is in the power business to support the economic development of its communities. As the one economic development source that covers the seven-state Tennessee Valley region, TVA is in a unique position to partner with state and local governments, local power distributors, community and business leaders, and other stakeholders.

The partnerships paid off in Memphis, where TVA and Memphis Light, Gas & Water helped the city land a $50 million expansion by Medtronic, a global leader in medical appliances. The expansion provided 600 new jobs paying an average annual salary of $55,000.