Editing Tennessee Valley Authority (section)

===Recent history===
[[File:CRNS rendering.png|thumb|upright=1.35|left|Artistic rendering of the small modular reactor (SMR) facility at the [[Clinch River Breeder Reactor|Clinch River Nuclear Site]], the first of several to be constructed as part of TVA's New Nuclear Program approved in early 2022.<ref name="NNP">{{cite web |title=TVA Board Authorizes New Nuclear Program to Explore Innovative Technology |url=https://www.tva.com/newsroom/press-releases/tva-board-authorizes-new-nuclear-program-to-explore-innovative-technology |website=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220204744/https://www.tva.com/newsroom/press-releases/tva-board-authorizes-new-nuclear-program-to-explore-innovative-technology |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
In 2018, TVA opened a new cybersecurity center in its downtown Chattanooga Office Complex. More than 20 Information Technology specialists monitor emails, Twitter feeds and network activity for cybersecurity threats and threats to grid security. Across TVA's digital platform, two billion activities occur each day. The center is staffed 24 hours a day to spot any threats to TVA's 16,000 miles of transmission lines.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flessner |first=Dave |date=August 12, 2018 |title=Protecting the power grid: TVA beefs up security as cyber threats grow |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2018/aug/12/protecting-power-gridgovernment-warns-russiat/476652/ |access-date=December 29, 2018 |archive-date=December 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229220523/https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2018/aug/12/protecting-power-gridgovernment-warns-russiat/476652/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Given continued economic pressure on the coal industry, the TVA board defied President [[Donald Trump]] and voted in February 2019 to close two aging coal plants, Paradise Unit 3 and Bull Run. TVA chief executive [[William D. Johnson (CEO)|Bill Johnson]] said the decision was not about coal, per se, but rather "about keeping rates as low as feasible". They stated that decommissioning the two plants would reduce its carbon output by about 4.4% annually.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/tva-defies-trump-votes-to-shut-down-two-aging-coal-fired-power-plants/2019/02/14/6cc0c9f8-3077-11e9-86ab-5d02109aeb01_story.html |title=TVA defies Trump, votes to shut down two aging coal-fired power plants |last=Mufson |first=Steven |date=February 14, 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 15, 2019 |archive-date=March 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190311220523/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/tva-defies-trump-votes-to-shut-down-two-aging-coal-fired-power-plants/2019/02/14/6cc0c9f8-3077-11e9-86ab-5d02109aeb01_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> TVA announced in April 2021 plans to completely phase out coal power by 2035.<ref>{{cite news|last=Flessner|first=Dave|date=April 28, 2021|title=TVA plans to phase out coal power by 2035 as utility turns to more gas, nuclear and renewable energy |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2021/apr/28/tvplans-phase-out-coal-power-2035/545960/ |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press|access-date=2021-05-03}}</ref> The following month, the board voted to consider replacing almost all of their operating coal facilities with combined-cycle gas plants. Such plants considered for gas plant redevelopment include the Cumberland, Gallatin, Shawnee, and Kingston facilities.<ref name="flessner">{{cite web |last1=Flessner |first1=Dave |title=TVA begins steps to shut down its biggest coal plant |url=https://energycentral.com/news/tva-begins-steps-shut-down-its-biggest-coal-plant.l |website=EnergyCentral |publisher=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]] |access-date=July 4, 2021}}</ref>

In early February 2020, TVA awarded an outside company, [[Framatome]], several multi-million-dollar contracts for work across the company's nuclear reactor fleet.<ref name=framatome>{{cite web |date=February 3, 2020 |title=Framatome signs multimillion-dollar contracts with Tennessee Valley Authority |website=Framatone |url=https://www.framatome.com/EN/businessnews-1860/framatome-signs-multimilliondollar-contracts-with-tennessee-valley-authority.html |access-date=April 15, 2020 |archive-date=June 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609040446/https://www.framatome.com/EN/businessnews-1860/framatome-signs-multimilliondollar-contracts-with-tennessee-valley-authority.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This includes fuel for the [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant]], fuel handling equipment upgrades across the fleet and [[Steam generator (nuclear power)|steam generator]] replacements at the [[Watts Bar Nuclear Plant]]. Framatome will provide its state-of-the-art ATRIUM 11 fuel for the three [[boiling water reactor]]s at [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant|Browns Ferry]]. This contract makes TVA the third U.S. utility to switch to the ATRIUM 11 fuel design.<ref name=framatome/> On August 3, 2020, President Trump fired the TVA chairman and another board member, saying they were overpaid and had [[Outsourcing|outsourced]] 200 high-tech jobs. The move came after U.S. Tech Workers, a nonprofit that works to limit visas given to foreign technology workers, criticized the TVA for laying off its own workers and replacing them with contractors using foreign workers with [[H-1B visa]]s.<ref>{{cite news |title=Trump fires Tennessee Valley Authority chair over compensation, outsourcing |work=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-takes-disciplinary-action-against-tva-leadership-n1235653?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_lw |access-date=August 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016204930/https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-takes-disciplinary-action-against-tva-leadership-n1235653?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_lw |url-status=live }}</ref>

Citing its aspiration to reach net-zero carbon emissions in 2050, the TVA Board voted to approve an advanced approach of nuclear energy technology with an estimated $200 million investment, known as the New Nuclear Program (NNP) in February 2022. This would promote the construction of new nuclear power facilities, particularly [[small modular reactors]], with the first facility being constructed in partnership with [[Oak Ridge National Laboratory]] at the [[Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project|Clinch River Nuclear Site]] in [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee|Oak Ridge]].<ref name="NNP"/><ref name="derr">{{cite web |last1=Derr |first1=Emma |title=TVA Establishes New Nuclear Program |url=https://www.nei.org/news/2022/tva-establishes-new-nuclear-program |website=[[Nuclear Energy Institute]] |access-date=February 20, 2022 |date=February 2022 |archive-date=February 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220204752/https://www.nei.org/news/2022/tva-establishes-new-nuclear-program |url-status=live }}</ref> On December 23, 2022, TVA had several hours of [[rolling blackouts]] due to the [[late December 2022 North American winter storm]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-23 |title=MLGW: No rolling blackouts after TVA rescinds order |url=https://wreg.com/news/local/rolling-blackouts-coming-due-to-cold-temperature/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=[[WREG-TV]] |archive-date=December 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221223202406/https://wreg.com/news/local/rolling-blackouts-coming-due-to-cold-temperature/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As many as 24,000 [[Nashville Electric Service]] customers were without power, with thousands more from smaller distributors affected as well.<ref>{{Cite news |title=TVA ends rolling blackouts across East Tennessee |url=https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/tva-announces-rolling-blackouts-amid-unprecedented-demands/ |access-date=2022-12-23 |website=WJHL-TV |location=Johnson City, Tennessee |date=2022-12-23 |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213095951/https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/tva-announces-rolling-blackouts-amid-unprecedented-demands/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-12-23 |title=Outages grow in Middle Tennessee, with some without power for hours |url=https://www.newschannel5.com/news/outages-present-desperate-situation-during-dangerous-cold |access-date=2022-12-23 |work=WTVF-TV |location=Nashville |archive-date=February 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230213095954/https://www.newschannel5.com/news/outages-present-desperate-situation-during-dangerous-cold |url-status=live }}</ref>