All Reports

Along with steam, the coal combustion process produces hot gases (called flue gases), including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and ash particles. Flue gas moves through ductwork to various air pollution control devices prior to being emitted through the stack. The objective of our evaluation was to determine if TVA is taking actions to address environmental and safety risks related to flue gas ductwork at coal plants. Since scrubbers increase the risk of corrosion within flue gas ductwork, our evaluation included plants with operational scrubbers.

The OIG audited TVA's fraud risk management activities to determine if it had incorporated the practices in its organizational culture and structure conducive to fraud risk management as identified by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) framework for managing fraud risk. In summary, we found while TVA has attempted to demonstrate a senior-level management commitment to integrity through various ethics and code of conduct policies, improvements are needed in TVA's practices to combat fraud and involve all levels of the agency in setting an antifraud tone.

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Supply Chain, the OIG examined the cost proposal submitted by a contractor for construction management services. Our objective was to determine if the contractor's cost proposal was fairly stated for a planned $100 million contract. In our opinion, the proposed general and administrative (G&A) rates were overstated in the proposal, compared to the G&A rates included in a current contract TVA has with this contractor.

The OIG audited costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by ABB, Inc. (ABB), for providing large and medium power transformers under Contract No. 4645. Our audit included $83.3 million in costs paid by TVA between June 1, 2011, and March 31, 2015. Our objective was to determine if the costs billed to TVA were in compliance with the contract terms and conditions.

In 2008, the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) performed an audit (2007-11348, Information Services Organizational Effectiveness, March 27, 2008) on the effectiveness of the Information Technology (IT) organization and made several recommendations for improvements. In 2011, TVA OIG completed a follow-up audit (2010-13366, Information Technology Organizational Effectiveness, April 5, 2011) and determined the actions taken were not carried through year to year, and as a result, effectiveness in many areas decreased.

The objective of this evaluation was to determine if the Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) delivered costs of fuel included all appropriate costs and were calculated consistently across commodities. We hired a consultant, Synapse Energy Economics, Inc. (Synapse), to (1) review TVA's delivered cost of fuel components and calculations and (2) research industry practices related to calculating fuel costs for dispatch purposes.In summary, in conjunction with Synapse, we determined TVA was making dispatch decisions using inaccurate cost information.

As part of the OIG's annual audit plan, we audited $172.6 million in costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by Medco Health Solutions, Inc. (Medco), for prescription drug benefits services from January 1, 2012, through December 31, 2013, under Contract No. 00077345. The contract required Medco to provide a fully integrated prescription drug program that would include retail pharmacy, mail order pharmacy, and specialty drug pharmacy services.

The OIG completed procedures agreed to by TVA and the Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) to assist in determining TVA's compliance with the annual reporting requirements of the CRS's Green-e Energy program for the reporting year 2015. Results of the agreed-upon procedures applied were provided to TVA and CRS.(Summary Only)

Maintenance personnel at coal plants use firearms (i.e., shotguns) to remove boiler slag, which is the buildup of molten ash. The objective of this evaluation was to determine if firearms and ammunition at coal plants are properly accounted for and safeguarded. In summary, we determined TVA does not have standardized guidance related to the accountability of firearms and ammunition used at coal plants. Instead, each plant has implemented individualized accountability processes.