All Reports

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.

The OIG audited the payments TVA made to Seven States Power Corporation (Seven States) under Contract No. 544179 for a demand response pilot study in which Seven States was to demonstrate its capability to provide aggregated demand response (ADR) services. Under the ADR Proof of Concept (POC) program, Seven States serves in an administrative role, coordinating recruitment of customers, communication with TVA, and tracking of program performance. Participating customers are incentivized to reduce power usage at specific times when called on by TVA.

The OIG audited cyber security at a power generation facility to determine (1) the adequacy of physical and environmental controls, logical security controls, network infrastructure controls, and general controls such as backup and recovery, change control, and incident response, and (2) compliance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA). In summary, we found opportunities for improvement in the areas of (1) physical access and environmental controls, (2) logical access controls, (3) network infrastructure controls, and (4) general controls.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) uses bulk industrial gases, including oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide as part of its normal operations. Due to hazards associated with handling bulk industrial gases and the importance of worker and public safety at TVA, the OIG initiated an audit of TVA's mitigation of risks from bulk industrial gases. We limited our scope to the explosive and flammable risks of hydrogen and oxygen and the asphyxiation risks of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.

The OIG assessed operational and cultural strengths and areas for improvement that could impact Bull Run Fossil Plant's (BRF) organizational effectiveness. We determined, overall, BRF has significant opportunity to improve its effectiveness. While we identified strengths associated with trust of first-line supervisors and teamwork, BRF's performance in fiscal year 2015 was mixed, and the morale of the workforce was low primarily due to the impacts of corporate decisions and limited trust between plant management and employees.

As part of its annual audit plan, the OIG audited $16.7 million in costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by EnergySolutions, LLC (ES) under Contract No. 69836. The contract provided for ES to furnish personnel, equipment, chemicals, and consumables necessary to process liquid radioactive waste for all three TVA nuclear operating sites. Our objective was to determine if the costs billed to TVA were in accordance with the provisions of TVA's Contract No. 69836 with ES.