All Reports

At the request of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Supply Chain, we examined the cost proposal submitted by a contractor for the New Caledonia Gas Plant.  Our examination objective was to determine if the cost proposal was fairly stated.  The contractor proposed a target cost estimate (TCE) of approximately $474.7 million for the construction of a potential simple cycle natural gas electricity generating plant at TVA’s New Caledonia site in Steens, Mississippi.

We performed an audit of the costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company, Inc (B&M) under Contract No. 15388 for engineering services.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) currently operates 101 natural gas- and fuel oil-fired generators at 18 sites.  During 2020, we performed an evaluation of overtime worked at TVA gas plants and found a significant amount of overtime was being worked by employees at some plants.  In response to that evaluation, TVA hired additional full-time employees at some gas plants.  However, overtime worked at gas plants has continued to increase since our previous evaluation.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) currently operates 29 power-generating hydro plants and one pumped-storage plant.  Between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2024, employees at TVA’s hydro plants were paid a total of $71.7 million.  Of this $71.7 million, $15.1 million (21 percent) was paid for 187,579 hours of overtime to 243 employees. 

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Nuclear organization has a vision to be the top nuclear fleet by the end of fiscal year 2025 and an initiative to sustain top quartile performance.  Selection of suppliers responsible for maintenance or system upgrades within TVA’s nuclear fleet can affect TVA’s ability to maintain top quartile performance and achieve TVA Nuclear’s vision.  Two departments essential for making supplier selections are each plant’s respective Site Projects group and TVA’s Supply Chain (SC) organization.  Through soliciting vend

In June 2019, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) completed an Integrated Resource Plan and recommended the expansion of solar generating capacity by up to 14,000 megawatts (MW) by 2038. According to TVA’s fiscal year 2020 Sustainability Report, TVA set a sustainability aspiration to achieve 10,000 MW of solar generation by 2035. To help achieve this goal, TVA purchased 3,000 acres to construct an estimated 200 MW solar facility in Lawrence County, Alabama.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) Power Supply Plans (PSPs) combine optimized capacity and generation plans that balance load and power supply and provide detailed dispatch and generation forecasts used in resource decisions, budgeting, and analysis. PSPs incorporate key planning assumptions, including load and commodity forecasts, fleet characteristics, and other inputs, applying least cost planning methodology.

We performed an audit of costs billed to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) by GE Vernova International, LLC (GEVI) for parts and services for the covered units at the Allen Combined Cycle Plant as part of a long-term service agreement under Contract No. 11930. Our audit objective was to determine if costs were billed in compliance with the contract’s terms. Our audit scope included about $48.5 million in costs billed from January 1, 2021, through March 31, 2024.

According to Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Standard Programs and Processes 26.003, Community Contributions, TVA helps enable a better quality of life in the communities it serves (1) through its work in energy, the environment, and economic development and (2) by supporting educational and community goals. Much of TVA’s giving activity supporting educational and community goals is administered under formally established programs, including the Community Contributions and Community Care Fund programs.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) performs an annual cost of service study that, according to Commercial Energy Solutions Standard Programs and Processes 21.7.3, Cost of Service, “is used to estimate the cost to TVA of serving particular classes of customers and to compare that cost to the estimated revenue derived from those classes. The analysis may be used to derive, evaluate, initiate, or justify rate actions.”