All Reports

In March 2016, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a Chilled Work Environment Letter to Watts Bar Nuclear Plant as a result of an investigation that concluded that a chilled work environment existed in the Operations Department because of a perception that operators were not free to raise safety concerns using all available avenues without a fear of retaliation. In response to the Chilled Work Environment Letter, TVA assessed the actions taken in response to a Confirmatory Order (CO) issued in 2009 and determined that not all of the actions had been implemented effectively.

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a company for civil projects and coal combustion residual program management work at TVA's steam electric power plants. Our examination objective was to determine if the company's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned <br> $50 million contract.In our opinion, the company's cost proposal was overstated.

The Office of the Inspector General conducted a review of the Chief Human Resource Office’s (CHRO) organization to identify operational and cultural strengths and risks that could impact CHRO’s organizational effectiveness. Our report identified strengths within CHRO related to (1) organizational alignment, (2) development of the CHRO strategy, and (3) management support within the business units.

The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (FISMA) requires each agency’s Inspector General (IG) to conduct an annual independent evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the information security program (ISP) and practice of its respective agency. Our objective was to evaluate the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) strategy and the progress of TVA’s ISP and agency practices for ensuring compliance with FISMA and applicable standards, including guidelines issued by the Office of Management and Budget and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

We evaluated TVA's Corrective Action Program (CAP) to determine if the CAP was effective in resolving employee concerns at Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. We determined the Sequoyah CAP was generally effective in resolving employee concerns during calendar years 2015 and 2016. Specifically, we determined condition reports (CRs) classified as CAP were addressed effectively and in a timely manner. However, we identified areas for improvement related to (1) the classification of CRs, (2) routing and documentation of anonymous CRs, and (3) CAP training.

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a company for civil projects and coal combustion residual program management work at TVA's steam electric power plants. Our examination objective was to determine if the company's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned $100 million contract.In our opinion, the company's cost proposal was overstated.

The Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Interruptible Power (IP) program implemented new products in October 2015 as part of the product redesign of TVA's demand response portfolio. We initiated this audit in response to concerns forwarded to our office regarding (1) the amount of credits provided through TVA's interruptible products and (2) whether or not these products were a cost effective way for TVA to obtain power.

The TVA OIG meets its legal requirement to report to Congress on its results twice a year through its Semiannual Report to Congress (SAR). This SAR edition takes a walk through the past 14 years of TVA's first Presidentially-appointed and longest-running Inspector General, Richard Moore, who became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama in late September 2017. This issue also includes an introduction to Acting Inspector General Jill Matthews, formerly the Deputy Inspector General, who has served in the TVA OIG since its inception in the mid-1980s.

As part of our annual audit plan, we performed an audit of costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by Bechtel Power Corporation (Bechtel) for providing engineering, procurement, construction, and related services in support of the completion of TVA's Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 under Contract No. 65419. Our audit included about <br> $502 million in craft labor costs billed to TVA from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2015. Our audit objective was to determine if Bechtel billed TVA in accordance with the contract terms and conditions.

In keeping with its responsibilities under the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the OIG monitored the audit of TVA's fiscal year 2017 financial statements performed by Ernst and Young LLP (EY) to assure their work complied with Government Auditing Standards. Our review of EY's work disclosed no instance in which the firm did not comply in all material respects with Government Auditing Standards.