Editing Tennessee Valley Authority (section)

== History ==

=== Background ===
In the late 19th century, the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers|Army Corps of Engineers]] first recognized a number of potential dam sites along the Tennessee River for electricity generation and navigation improvements.{{sfn|Hargrove|1994|p=19}} The [[National Defense Act of 1916]], signed into law by President [[Woodrow Wilson]], authorized the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in [[Muscle Shoals, Alabama]], for the purpose of producing nitrates for ammunition; that dam was completed in 1924.
During the 1920s and the 1930s, Americans began to support the idea of [[public utility|public ownership of utilities]], particularly hydroelectric power facilities. Many believed privately owned power companies were charging too much for power, did not employ fair operating practices, and were subject to abuse by their owners, utility holding companies, at the expense of consumers.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}} The concept of government-owned generation facilities selling to publicly owned distribution utilities was controversial, and remains so today.<ref name="hubbard">{{cite book |last1=Hubbard |first1=Preston J. |title=Origins of the TVA: The Muscle Shoals Controversy, 1920–1932 |date=1961 |publisher=Vanderbilt University Press |location=Nashville |oclc=600647072 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031695052;view=1up;seq=12 |pages=189–194 |via=HathiTrust Digital Library |access-date=March 20, 2018 |archive-date=March 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307215550/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015031695052;view=1up;seq=12 |url-status=live }}</ref> The private sector practice of forming utility holding companies had resulted in them controlling 94 percent of generation by 1921, and they were essentially unregulated. In an effort to change this, Congress and Roosevelt enacted the [[Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935]] (PUHCA).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Hawes |first=Douglas W. |date=April 1977 |title=Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 -- Fossil or Foil? |url=https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3108&context=vlr |journal=[[Vanderbilt Law Review]] |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages=605–625 |doi= |access-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312064455/https://scholarship.law.vanderbilt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3108&context=vlr |url-status=live }}</ref>

During his 1932 presidential campaign, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] expressed his belief that private utilities had "selfish purposes" and said, "Never shall the federal government part with its sovereignty or with its control of its power resources while I'm President of the United States." 

U.S. Senator [[George W. Norris]] of [[Nebraska]] also distrusted private utility companies, and in 1920 blocked a proposal from industrialist [[Henry Ford]] to build a private dam and create a utility to modernize the Tennessee Valley.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tobey|first=Ronald C.|title=Technology as Freedom: The New Deal and the Electrical Modernization of the American Home|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0geUkFJjbzEC&pg=PA46|year=1996|publisher=University of California Press|pages=46–48|isbn=9780520204218 |access-date=2021-07-04|via=Google Books}}</ref> In 1930, Norris sponsored the [[Muscle Shoals Bill]], which would have built a federal dam in the valley, but it was vetoed by President [[Herbert Hoover]], who believed it to be [[socialism|socialistic]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 5, 1930|title=Muscle Shoals Bill Passed By Senate; Vote on Norris Measure for Operation by Federal Corporation Is 45 to 23. House Counted Favorable But Hoover Veto is Expected in Event of Passage—His Supporters Divided in Debate. Hoover Supporters Divided. The Vote on Roll-Call.|work=The New York Times|page=3|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/04/05/archives/muscle-shoals-bill-passed-by-senate-vote-on-norris-measure-for.html|access-date=September 14, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=September 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210914152526/https://www.nytimes.com/1930/04/05/archives/muscle-shoals-bill-passed-by-senate-vote-on-norris-measure-for.html|url-status=live}}</ref> 

The idea behind the Muscle Shoals project became a core part of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]] program that created the Tennessee Valley Authority.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wengert |first1=Norman |title=Antecedents of TVA: The Legislative History of Muscle Shoals |journal=[[Agricultural History (journal)|Agricultural History]] |date=1952 |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=141–147 |issn=1533-8290 |oclc=971899953 |jstor=3740474}}</ref>

Even by Depression standards, the Tennessee Valley was in dire economic straits in 1933. Thirty percent of the population was affected by [[malaria]]. The average income in the rural areas was $639 per year (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|639|1933}}}} in {{CURRENTYEAR}}),{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} with some families surviving on as little as $100 per year (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|100|1933}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}).{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} 

Much of the land had been exhausted by poor farming practices, and the soil was [[erosion|eroded]] and depleted. [[Crop yield]]s had fallen, reducing farm incomes. The best timber had been cut, and 10% of forests were lost to fires each year.<ref name="hubbard" />

=== Founding and early history ===
[[File:Roosevelt signing TVA Act (1933).jpg|left|thumb|President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] signing the TVA Act]]
[[File:TVA sign at Hyde Park, NY IMG 5665.JPG|thumb|TVA poster at the [[Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum]]]]

President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] signed the '''Tennessee Valley Authority Act''' (ch. 32, {{USStatute|73|17|48|58|1933|05|18}}, codified as amended at {{USC|16|831}}, et seq.), creating the TVA. The agency was initially tasked with modernizing the region, using experts and electricity to combat human and [[Economy of the United States|economic]] problems.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schulman |first1=Bruce J. |title=From Cotton Belt to Sunbelt: Federal policy, economic development, and the transformation of the South, 1938–1980 |date=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |oclc=300412389 |isbn=978-0-19-536344-9}}</ref> TVA developed fertilizers, and taught farmers ways to improve crop yields.<ref name="Selznick"/> In addition, it helped replant forests, control [[forest fires]], and improve habitats for fish and wildlife.

The Authority hired many of the area's unemployed for a variety of jobs: they conducted [[habitat conservation|conservation]], [[economic development]], and [[social program]]s. For instance, a [[library]] service was instituted for this area. The professional staff at headquarters were generally composed of experts from outside the region. By 1934, TVA employed more than 9,000 people.<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/history-of-the-tva |title=TVA |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=August 7, 2017 |website=History.com |publisher=The History Channel |access-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-date=January 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108200728/https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/history-of-the-tva |url-status=live }}</ref> The workers were classified by the usual racial and gender lines of the region, which limited opportunities for minorities and women. TVA hired a few [[African Americans]], generally restricted for janitorial or other low-level positions. TVA recognized [[labor unions]]; its skilled and semi-skilled blue collar employees were unionized, a breakthrough in an area known for corporations hostile to miners' and textile workers' unions. Women were excluded from construction work.

[[File:TVA-first-board.jpg|left|thumb|TVA's first board (L to R): [[Harcourt Morgan]], [[Arthur Ernest Morgan|Arthur E. Morgan]], and [[David E. Lilienthal]]]]
Many local landowners were suspicious of government agencies, but TVA successfully introduced new agricultural methods into traditional farming communities by blending in and finding local champions. Tennessee farmers often rejected advice from TVA officials, so the officials had to find leaders in the communities and convince them that [[crop rotation]] and the judicious application of fertilizers could restore soil fertility.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shapiro |first1=Edward |title=The Southern Agrarians and the Tennessee Valley Authority |journal=[[American Quarterly]] |date=Winter 1970 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=791–806 |doi=10.2307/2711870 |issn=0003-0678 |oclc=5545493875 |jstor=2711870}}</ref> Once they had convinced the leaders, the rest followed.<ref name="Selznick">{{cite book |last=Selznick |first=Philip |author-link=Philip Selznick |date=1953 |title=TVA and the Grass Roots: A Study in the Sociology of Formal Organization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mym5Ycgamo8C |location=Los Angeles; Berkeley, California |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |pages=134–139 |isbn=1528359852 |access-date=March 19, 2023 |archive-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231006212651/https://books.google.com/books?id=Mym5Ycgamo8C |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:"A group showing some of the men working at Norris Dam." - NARA - 532717.jpg|thumb|alt=Construction workers gather at Norris Dam site|Workers at the site of [[Norris Dam]], the first hydroelectric dam built by the TVA, {{Circa|1933}}]]

TVA immediately embarked on the construction of several hydroelectric dams, with the first, [[Norris Dam]] in upper [[East Tennessee]], breaking ground on October 1, 1933. These facilities, designed with the intent of also controlling floods, greatly improved the lives of farmers and rural residents, making their lives easier and farms in the Tennessee Valley more productive. They also provided new employment opportunities to the poverty-stricken regions in the Valley. At the same time, however, they required the [[Development-induced displacement|displacement]] of more than 125,000 valley residents or roughly 15,000 families,<ref name="gaventa"/> as well as some cemeteries and small towns, which caused some to oppose the projects, especially in rural areas.<ref name="dispossessed">{{cite book |last1=Muldowny |first1=John |last2=McDonald |first2=Michael |title=TVA and the Dispossessed: The Resettlement of Population in the Norris Dam Area |date=1981 |publisher=[[University of Tennessee]] Press |isbn=9781572331648 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_vUrhbkRLiAC |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=January 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111024357/https://www.google.com/books/edition/TVA_and_the_Dispossessed/_vUrhbkRLiAC?hl=en&gbpv=0 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="stephens">{{cite web |last1=Stephens |first1=Joseph |title=Forced Relocations Presented More of an Ordeal than an Opportunity for Norris Reservoir Families |url=https://www.historicunioncounty.com/article/forced-relocations-presented-more-ordeal-opportunity-norris-reservoir-families |website=Historic Union County |date=May 2018 |access-date=June 15, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184540/https://www.historicunioncounty.com/article/forced-relocations-presented-more-ordeal-opportunity-norris-reservoir-families |url-status=live }}</ref> The projects also inundated several [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] archaeological sites, and graves were reinterred at new locations, along with new tombstones.{{sfn|Creese|1990|pp=95-105}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Brackish Water |url=https://oxfordamerican.org/magazine/issue-125-summer-2024/brackish-water |access-date=2024-07-07 |website=Oxford American |language=en}}</ref>

The available electricity attracted new industries to the region, including [[textile]] [[factory|mills]], providing desperately needed jobs, many of which were filled by women.{{sfn|Neuse|2004|pp=972–979}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Long |first1=Jennifer |title=Government Job Creation Programs—Lessons from the 1930s and 1940s |journal=[[Journal of Economic Issues]] |date=December 1999 |volume=33 |issue=4 |pages=903–918 |issn=0021-3624 |doi=10.1080/00213624.1999.11506220 |oclc=5996637494}}</ref> A few regions of the Tennessee Valley did not receive electricity until the late 1940s and early 1950s, however. TVA was one of the first federal [[hydropower]] agencies, and was quickly hailed as a success. While most of the nation's major hydropower systems are federally managed today, other attempts to create similar regional corporate agencies have failed. The most notable was the proposed Columbia Valley Authority for the [[Columbia River]] in the [[Pacific Northwest]], which was modeled off of TVA, but did not gain approval.{{sfn|Hargrove|1994|p=137}}

===World War II===
[[File:PalmercarpenterA.jpg|thumb|right|A [[carpenter]], wearing a contractor's employee badge, at work during the 1942 construction of [[Douglas Dam]] in [[East Tennessee]].]]
In order to provide the power for essential industries during [[World War II]], TVA engaged in one of the largest hydropower construction programs ever undertaken in the U.S. This was especially important for the energy-intensive [[aluminum]] industry, which was used in airplanes and munitions.{{sfn|Russell|1949|pp=29-30}} By early 1942, when the effort reached its peak, 12 hydroelectric plants and one coal-fired steam plant were under construction at the same time, and design and construction employment reached a total of 28,000. In its first eleven years, TVA constructed a total of 16 hydroelectric dams. During the war, the agency also provided 60% of the elemental [[phosphorus]] used in munitions, produced maps of approximately {{convert|500,000|mi2|km2}} of foreign territory using [[aerial reconnaissance]], and provided mobile housing for war workers.<ref name="history" />

The largest project of this period was the [[Fontana Dam]]. After negotiations led by then-Vice President [[Harry Truman]], TVA purchased the land from Nantahala Power and Light, a wholly owned subsidiary of [[Alcoa]], and built Fontana Dam. Also in 1942, TVA's first coal-fired plant, the 267-megawatt [[Watts Bar Steam Plant]], began operation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/coal/plants-of-the-past |title=Plants of the Past |website=tva.com |publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=October 21, 2018 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806101408/https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/coal/plants-of-the-past |url-status=live }}</ref> The government originally intended the electricity generated from Fontana to be used by [[Alcoa]] factories for the war effort. However, the abundance of TVA power was one of the major factors in the decision by the U.S. Army to locate [[uranium enrichment]] facilities in [[Oak Ridge, Tennessee]], for the world's first [[atomic bomb]]s.{{sfn|Russell|1949|pp=30-32}}{{sfn|Creese|1990|pp=221-231}} This was part of an effort codenamed the [[Manhattan Project]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fine |first1=Lenore |last2=Remington |first2=Jesse A. |title=The Corps of Engineers: Construction in the United States |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-5/CMH_Pub_10-5.pdf |pages=134–135 |access-date=August 25, 2013 |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1972 |oclc=834187 |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201142645/https://history.army.mil/html/books/010/10-5/CMH_Pub_10-5.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Vincent |title=Manhattan: The Army and the Atomic Bomb |publisher=United States Army Center of Military History |location=Washington, D.C. |year=1985 |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-10/CMH_Pub_11-10.pdf |pages=46–47 |access-date=25 August 2013 |oclc=10913875 |archive-date=October 7, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007074359/http://www.history.army.mil/html/books/011/11-10/CMH_Pub_11-10.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

=== Increasing power demand ===
[[File:John Sevier Steam Plant - 1956.jpg|thumb|left|[[John Sevier Fossil Plant]] in [[Hawkins County, Tennessee]], {{circa|1956}}]]
By the end of World War II, TVA had completed a {{convert|650|mi|km|adj=on}} navigation channel the length of the Tennessee River and had become the nation's largest electricity supplier.{{sfn|Russell|1949|pp=23-24}} Even so, the demand for electricity was outstripping TVA's capacity to produce power from [[Hydroelectricity|hydroelectric]] dams, and so TVA began to construct additional coal-fired plants. Political interference kept TVA from securing additional federal appropriations to do so, so it sought the authority to issue bonds.{{sfn|Hargrove|Conkin|1983|pp=75-76}} Several of TVA's coal-fired plants, including [[Johnsonville Fossil Plant|Johnsonville]], [[Widows Creek Fossil Plant|Widows Creek]], [[Shawnee Fossil Plant|Shawnee]], [[Kingston Fossil Plant|Kingston]], [[Gallatin Fossil Plant|Gallatin]], and [[John Sevier Fossil Plant|John Sevier]], began operations in the 1950s.<ref name="slate">{{cite news |last=Gross |first=Daniel |date=October 2, 2015 |title=The Tennessee Valley Authority is closing coal plants, and that's huge |url=https://www.slate.com/business/2015/10/the-tennessee-valley-authority-is-closing-coal-plants-and-thats-huge. |work=Slate Magazine |access-date=January 7, 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 1955 coal surpassed hydroelectricity as TVA's top generating source.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tva.com/About-TVA/Our-History/The-1950s |title=The 1950s |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2018 |website=tva.com |publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=January 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126030936/https://www.tva.com/About-TVA/Our-History/The-1950s |url-status=live }}</ref> On August 6, 1959, President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] signed into law an amendment to the TVA act, making the agency self-financing.<ref name="sentinel">{{cite news |date=May 11, 2008 |title=Snapshot of major events in TVA history |url=https://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/snapshot-of-major-events-in-tva-history-ep-411654928-359899091.html/?page=1 |work=The Knoxville News-Sentinel |access-date=January 20, 2019 |archive-date=January 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190120194539/http://archive.knoxnews.com/news/local/snapshot-of-major-events-in-tva-history-ep-411654928-359899091.html/?page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> During the 1950s, TVA's generating capacity nearly quadrupled.<ref name=clemnelson/>

The 1960s were years of further unprecedented economic growth in the Tennessee Valley. Capacity growth during this time slowed, but ultimately increased 56% between 1960 and 1970.<ref name=clemnelson/> To handle a projected future increase in electrical consumption, TVA began constructing 500 kilovolt (kV) transmission lines, the first of which was placed into service on May 15, 1965.<ref name=clemnelson/> Electric rates were among the nation's lowest during this time and stayed low as TVA brought larger, more efficient generating units into service. Plants completed during this time included [[Paradise Combined Cycle Plant#History|Paradise]], [[Bull Run Fossil Plant|Bull Run]], and [[Nickajack Dam]].<ref name=clemnelson/> Expecting the Valley's electric power needs to continue to grow, TVA began building [[nuclear power in the United States|nuclear power plant]]s in 1966 as a new source of power.<ref name="TVAtimeline">{{cite web |url=https://tva.com/75th/pdf/tva_timeline_by_year.pdf |title=TVA timeline by year |publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=August 5, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100804060602/http://www.tva.com/75th/pdf/tva_timeline_by_year.pdf}}</ref> The following year, TVA began work on the construction of [[Tellico Dam]], which had been initially conceived in the 1930s and would later become its most controversial project.<ref name="medium">{{cite news |last=Morrissey |first=Connor |date=December 11, 2018 |title=The Tennessee Valley Authority: A Timeline of Controversy |url=https://medium.com/fall-2018-vt-intro-to-appalachian-studies/the-tennessee-valley-authority-a-timeline-of-controversy-b1a69df40a15 |work=[[Medium (website)|Medium]] |access-date=June 2, 2020 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726012057/https://medium.com/fall-2018-vt-intro-to-appalachian-studies/the-tennessee-valley-authority-a-timeline-of-controversy-b1a69df40a15 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rawls |first1=Wendell Jr. |title=Forgotten People of the Tellico Dam Fight |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/11/archives/forgotten-people-of-the-tellico-dam-fight-right-of-eminent-domain.html |access-date=April 18, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=November 11, 1979 |page=1 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726020225/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/11/archives/forgotten-people-of-the-tellico-dam-fight-right-of-eminent-domain.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Telling the Story of Tellico: It's Complicated |url=https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/built-for-the-people/telling-the-story-of-tellico-it-s-complicated |website=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=July 24, 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=June 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616105923/https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/built-for-the-people/telling-the-story-of-tellico-it-s-complicated}}</ref>

=== Financial problems, Tellico Dam, and restructuring ===
[[File:Land use plan of TVA's failed Timberlake City project.png|upright=1.35|thumb|Considered one of the TVA's most ambitious projects, Timberlake, a [[planned city]] along the Tellico Reservoir was proposed to support 30,000 residents.<ref name="timberlake">{{cite book |author1=Tennessee Valley Authority |title=Timberlake New Community: Final Environmental Statement |date=January 1, 1976 |publisher=[[Boston College Law School]] |location=[[Chattanooga, Tennessee|Chattanooga]] |format=PDF |url=https://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=darter_materials |access-date=August 11, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812141123/https://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1040&context=darter_materials |url-status=live }}</ref> The project was cancelled soon after the Tellico Project's controversy.<ref name="vanwest">{{cite web |last1=Van West |first1=Carroll |title=Monroe County |url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/monroe-county/ |website=[[Tennessee Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[Tennessee Historical Society]] |access-date=August 11, 2021 |date=October 8, 2017 |archive-date=August 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809070351/https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/monroe-county/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]
During the 1970s significant changes occurred in the economy of the Tennessee Valley and the nation, prompted by energy crises in [[1973 oil crisis|1973]] and [[1979 energy crisis|1979]] and accelerating fuel costs throughout the decade. The average cost of electricity in the Tennessee Valley increased fivefold from the early 1970s to the early 1980s. TVA's first nuclear reactor, [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant#Unit 1|Browns Ferry Unit 1]], began commercial operation on August 1, 1974.<ref>{{cite news|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Browns Ferry No. 2 N-Unit Test Approved|url=https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/57880858/browns-ferry-no-2-n-unit-test-approved/|page=6|work=[[The Tennessean]]|location=Nashville, Tennessee|agency=Associated Press|date=August 9, 1974|access-date=2020-08-23|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=April 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210418203709/https://tennessean.newspapers.com/clip/57880858/browns-ferry-no-2-n-unit-test-approved/|url-status=live}}</ref> Between 1970 and 1974, TVA set out to construct a total of 17 nuclear reactors, due to a projection of further rapid increase in power demand.<ref name="waldnyt">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/science/earth/19nuclear.html |title=Alabama Nuclear Reactor, Partly Built, to Be Finished |first=Matthew |last=Wald |date=August 19, 2011 |work=The New York Times |page=A12 |access-date=February 25, 2017 |archive-date=August 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812191546/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/19/science/earth/19nuclear.html? |url-status=live }}</ref> However, in the 1980s, it became increasingly evident that the agency had vastly overestimated the Valley's future energy needs, and rapid increases in construction costs and new regulations following the [[Three Mile Island accident]] posed additional obstacles to this undertaking.<ref name="Labaton">{{cite news |last=Labaton |first=Stephen |date=August 3, 1985 |title=Tennessee Valley Authority Generates Woes With Nuclear Power Program |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1985/08/03/tennessee-valley-authority-generates-woes-with-nuclear-power-program/de3b0602-e769-4cb8-b351-73c49850fea6/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref><ref name="ANS">{{cite news |last=Davis |first=Will |date=April 17, 2015 |title=TVA Prepares to Write Final Nuclear Chapters |url=https://www.ans.org/news/article-1686/tva-prepares-to-write-final-nuclear-chapters/ |work=Nuclear Newswire |publisher=[[American Nuclear Society]] |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-date=July 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230729001150/https://www.ans.org/news/article-1686/tva-prepares-to-write-final-nuclear-chapters/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1981, the board voted to defer the [[Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant|Phipps Bend]] plant, as well as to slow down construction on all other projects.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.timesnews.net/News/2008/08/23/Nuclear-power-option-still-alive-at-TVA-despite-Phipps-Bend-debacle |title=Nuclear power option still alive at TVA despite Phipps Bend debacle |work=[[Kingsport Times-News]] |access-date=December 31, 2017 |first=Hank |last=Hayes |date=August 23, 2008 |archive-date=January 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180101030650/http://www.timesnews.net/News/2008/08/23/Nuclear-power-option-still-alive-at-TVA-despite-Phipps-Bend-debacle |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[Hartsville Nuclear Plant|Hartsville]] and [[Yellow Creek Nuclear Plant|Yellow Creek]] plants were cancelled in 1984 and [[Bellefonte Nuclear Plant|Bellefonte]] in 1988.<ref name="waldnyt" /> Citing safety concerns, all of TVAs five operating nuclear reactors were indefinitely shut down in 1985 with the two at Sequoyah coming back online three years later and Browns Ferry's three reactors coming back online in 1991, 1995 and 2007. <ref name="Labaton"/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 22, 1985 |title=T.V.A., Citing Safety, to Shut Down Nuclear Plant |work=The New York Times |page=A19 |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/22/us/tva-citing-safety-to-shut-down-nuclear-plant.html |access-date=2019-01-07 |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318072631/https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/22/us/tva-citing-safety-to-shut-down-nuclear-plant.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Early Tellico Dam Construction.jpg|thumb|left|Construction on Tellico Dam]]
Construction of the [[Tellico Dam]] raised political and environmental concerns, as laws had changed since early development in the valley. Scientists and other researchers had become more aware of the massive environmental effects of the dams and new lakes, and worried about preserving habitats and species. The Tellico Dam project was initially delayed because of [[snail darter controversy|concern over]] the [[snail darter]], a small [[Actinopterygii|ray-finned fish]] which had been discovered in the Little Tennessee River in 1973 and listed as an [[endangered species]] two years later.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Robert |date=April 13, 2008 |title=Tellico Dam still generating debate |url=https://archive.knoxnews.com/business/tellico-dam-still-generating-debate-ep-411807529-359923851.html/ |access-date=July 24, 2022 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |archive-date=October 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013142515/http://archive.knoxnews.com/business/tellico-dam-still-generating-debate-ep-411807529-359923851.html |url-status=live}}</ref> A lawsuit was filed under the [[Endangered Species Act]] and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of protecting the snail darter in ''[[Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill]]'' in 1978.<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill |vol=437 |reporter=U.S. |opinion=153 |court=U.S. Supreme Court |date=June 15, 1978 |url=https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/437/153/ |access-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519222539/https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/437/153/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The project's main motive was to support recreational and tourism development, unlike earlier dams constructed by TVA. Land acquired by eminent domain for the Tellico Dam and its reservoir that encountered minimal inundation was sold to private developers for the construction of present-day [[Tellico Village, Tennessee|Tellico Village]], a [[Planned community|planned retirement community]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rawls |first1=Wendell |title=Forgotten People of the Tellico Dam Fight |work=The New York Times |date=November 11, 1979 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/11/archives/forgotten-people-of-the-tellico-dam-fight-right-of-eminent-domain.html |access-date=July 4, 2021 |archive-date=July 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220726020225/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/11/archives/forgotten-people-of-the-tellico-dam-fight-right-of-eminent-domain.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The inflation crises of the 1970s and early 1980s, combined with the cancellation of several of the planned nuclear plants put the agency in deep financial trouble.<ref name="Smothers">{{cite news |last=Smothers |first=Ronald |date=June 30, 1988 |title=T.V.A. Slashes Work Force And Holds Off on 2 Plants |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/30/us/tva-slashes-work-force-and-holds-off-on-2-plants.html |page=A-14 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102061109/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/30/us/tva-slashes-work-force-and-holds-off-on-2-plants.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In an effort to restructure and improve efficiency and financial stability, TVA began shifting towards a more corporate environment in the latter 1980s.<ref name="Lippman">{{cite news |last=Lippman |first=Thomas W. |date=March 29, 1992 |title=TVA: New Deal For An Old Power |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1992/03/29/tva-new-deal-for-an-old-power/ca353a10-f49e-48f5-85e6-b47396aea8c1/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=March 18, 2023}}</ref> [[Marvin Travis Runyon]], a former corporate executive in the [[automotive industry in the United States|automotive industry]], became chairman of the TVA in January 1988, and pledged to stabilize the agency financially. During his four-year term he worked to reduce management layers, and reduced overhead costs by more than 30%, which required thousands of workers to be laid off and many operations transferred to private contractors. These moves resulted in cumulative savings and efficiency improvements of $1.8 billion (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|1800000000|1992}}}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP}}).<ref name="Smothers"/><ref name="Lippman"/> His tenure also saw three of the agency's five nuclear reactors return to service,<ref>{{cite news |last=Lippman |first=Thomas W. |date=April 11, 1990 |title=For TVA, It's Back to a Nuclear Future |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/04/11/for-tva-its-back-to-a-nuclear-future/021659df-d094-45d8-adfa-6a3dfd925c8a/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=April 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190413221438/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/04/11/for-tva-its-back-to-a-nuclear-future/021659df-d094-45d8-adfa-6a3dfd925c8a/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=August 24, 2010 |title=TVA Ala. Browns Ferry 1, 2 reactor output rises |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/utilities-operations-tva/tva-ala-browns-ferry-1-2-reactor-output-rises-idUSN2423993020100824 |work=Reuters |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318073654/https://www.reuters.com/article/utilities-operations-tva/tva-ala-browns-ferry-1-2-reactor-output-rises-idUSN2423993020100824 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the institution of a rate freeze that continued for ten years.<ref>{{cite news |title=TVA Shaped Valley Over Course of Decades New Deal Agency Tamed a River, Changed Many Lives in Impoverished Rural Areas |last=Mansfield |first=Duncan |date=July 6, 1999 |work=Birmingham News}}</ref>

=== Early 1990s to late 2010s ===
[[File:TVA Surplus.png|thumb|upright=1.8|right|Tennessee Valley Authority Surplus/Deficit]]
As the electric-utility industry moved toward restructuring and [[deregulation]], TVA began preparing for competition. It cut operating costs by nearly $800 million a year, reduced its workforce by more than half, increased the generating capacity of its plants, and developed a plan to meet the energy needs of the Tennessee Valley through 2020.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 1990s |url=https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/the-1990s |website=Tennessee Valley Authority |access-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-date=May 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517081003/https://www.tva.com/about-tva/our-history/the-1990s |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1992 work resumed on [[Watts Bar Nuclear Plant#Unit 1|Watts Bar Unit 1]], and the reactor began operation in May 1996.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gang|first=Duane W. |date=August 29, 2014|title=5 things to know about TVA and nuclear power |work=[[The Tennessean]]|location=Nashville |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2014/08/29/tennessee-valley-authority-nuclear-power-watts-bar/14807185/ |access-date=January 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=699|title=WATTS BAR-1: Reactor Details|last=<!--no byline-->|date=<!--not specified-->|website=Power Reactor Information System|publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency|access-date=July 14, 2018|archive-date=March 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313162543/https://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=699|url-status=live}}</ref> This was the last commercial nuclear reactor in the United States to begin operation in the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thebulletin.org/2015/10/watts-bar-unit-2-last-old-reactor-of-the-20th-century-a-cautionary-tale/ |title=Watts Bar Unit 2, last old reactor of the 20th century: a cautionary tale |last1=Safer |first1=Don |last2=Barczak |first2=Sara |date=October 8, 2015 |publisher=[[Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists]] |access-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-date=March 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230318063951/https://thebulletin.org/2015/10/watts-bar-unit-2-last-old-reactor-of-the-20th-century-a-cautionary-tale/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2002, TVA began work to restart [[Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant#Unit 1|Browns Ferry Unit 1]], the last of TVA's reactors that had been mothballed in 1985. This unit returned to service in 2007. In 2004, TVA implemented recommendations from the Reservoir Operations Study (ROS) on how it operates the Tennessee River system. The following year, the company announced its intention to construct an [[Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor]] at its Bellefonte site in Alabama, filing the necessary applications in November 2007. This proposal was gradually trimmed over the following years, and essentially voided by 2016.<ref name="ANS"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/12/for-sale-5-billion-non-working-nuclear-power-plant-as-is/ |title=For sale: Multibillion-dollar, non-working nuclear power plant, as is |author=Derek Hawkins |newspaper=Washington Post |date=12 September 2016 |access-date=12 September 2016 |archive-date=November 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108145923/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/09/12/for-sale-5-billion-non-working-nuclear-power-plant-as-is/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2007, construction resumed on [[Watts Bar Nuclear Plant#Unit 2|Watts Bar Unit 2]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=700 |title=WATTS BAR-2 |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=June 29, 2013 |website=PRIS |publisher=[[International Atomic Energy Agency]] |access-date=June 29, 2013 |archive-date=October 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004230514/http://www.iaea.org/PRIS/CountryStatistics/ReactorDetails.aspx?current=700 |url-status=live }}</ref> which began commercial operation in October 2016. Watts Bar Unit 2 was the first new nuclear reactor to enter service in the United States in the 21st century.<ref>{{cite news |last=Blau |first=Max |work=CNN |date=October 20, 2016 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/us/tennessee-nuclear-power-plant/index.html |title=First new US nuclear reactor in 20 years goes live |access-date=October 20, 2016 |archive-date=October 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020193631/http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/20/us/tennessee-nuclear-power-plant/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:TVAPond.ogv|left|thumb|Aerial footage of the [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill]], the largest environmental disaster in American history.]]
On December 22, 2008, an earthen dike impounding a [[coal ash]] [[ash pond|pond]] at TVA's [[Kingston Fossil Plant]] failed, [[Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill|releasing {{convert|1.1|e9USgal|m3}} of coal ash slurry]] across {{convert|300|acre|km2}} of land and into two tributaries of the Tennessee River. The spill, of which cleanup was completed in 2015 at a cost of more than $1 billion, was the largest industrial spill in United States history, and considered one of the worst [[environmental disaster]]s of all time.<ref name=Sullivan/><ref>{{cite news |last=Bourne |first=Joel K. |date=February 19, 2019 |title=Coal's other dark side: Toxic ash that can poison water, destroy life and toxify people |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190219140212/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/02/coal-other-dark-side-toxic-ash/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 19, 2019 |work=National Geographic |access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref> A 2009 report by engineering firm [[AECOM]] found a number of inadequate design factors of the ash pond were responsible for the spill,<ref>{{cite news |last=Barker |first=Scott |date=June 26, 2009 |title=Report: Four factors led to fly ash spill |url=http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/26/report-four-factors-led-to-fly-ash-spill/|work=Knoxville News-Sentinel |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627180236/http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/jun/26/report-four-factors-led-to-fly-ash-spill/|archive-date=June 27, 2009 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and in August 2012, TVA was found liable for the disaster by the [[United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee|U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Purdom |first1=Rebecca |last2=Remmel |first2=Emily |date=May 24, 2013 |title=TVA Found Liable for Massive Coal Ash Spill But Proof of Damages Remains an Obstacle |url=http://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/topten/tva-found-liable-for-massive-coal-ash-spill-but-proof-of-damages-remains-an-obstacle/ |journal=Vermont Journal of Environmental Law |access-date=2020-05-27 |archive-date=August 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803000359/http://vjel.vermontlaw.edu/topten/tva-found-liable-for-massive-coal-ash-spill-but-proof-of-damages-remains-an-obstacle/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> The initial spill resulted in no injuries or deaths, but several of the employees of an engineering firm hired by TVA to clean up the spill developed illnesses, some of which were fatal,<ref name=":0" /> and in November 2018, a federal jury ruled that the contractor did not properly inform the workers about the dangers of exposure to coal ash and had failed to provide them with necessary personal protective equipment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Satterfield |first=Jamie |date=December 22, 2018 |title=On 10th anniversary of Kingston coal ash spill, workers who went 'through hell and back' honored |work=Knoxville News-Sentinel |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/12/22/kingston-coal-ash-spill-workers-10th-anniversary/2333826002/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223183347/https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/crime/2018/12/22/kingston-coal-ash-spill-workers-10th-anniversary/2333826002/ |archive-date=December 23, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Sullivan>{{Cite news |url=https://www.mensjournal.com/features/coal-disaster-killing-scores-rural-americans/ |title=A Lawyer, 40 Dead Americans, and a Billion Gallons of Coal Sludge |last=Sullivan |first=J.R .|date=September 2019 |work=Men's Journal |access-date=November 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102150952/https://www.mensjournal.com/features/coal-disaster-killing-scores-rural-americans/ |archive-date=2019-11-02 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, to gain more access to sustainable, green energy, TVA signed 20-year [[power purchase agreement]]s with Maryland-based CVP Renewable Energy Co. and Chicago-based Invenergy Wind LLC for electricity generated by wind farms.<ref>{{cite news |title=Dakota wind sites help TVA go green |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/green/story/2009/oct/23/dakota-wind-sites-help-tva-go-green/239724/ |access-date=March 19, 2018 |work=[[Chattanooga Times Free Press]] |date=October 23, 2009 |archive-date=March 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321130339/http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/green/story/2009/oct/23/dakota-wind-sites-help-tva-go-green/239724/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In April 2011, TVA reached an agreement with the [[Environmental Protection Agency]] (EPA), four state governments, and three environmental groups to drastically reduce pollution and carbon emissions.<ref name="npca">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Blockbuster Agreement Takes 18 Dirty TVA Coal-Fired Power Plant Units Offline |url=https://www.npca.org/articles/503-blockbuster-agreement-takes-18-dirty-tva-coal-fired-power-plant-units |work=National Parks Conservation Association |date=April 14, 2011 |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190107232835/https://www.npca.org/articles/503-blockbuster-agreement-takes-18-dirty-tva-coal-fired-power-plant-units |url-status=live }}</ref> Under the terms of the agreement, TVA was required to retire at least 18 of its 59 coal-fired units by the end of 2018, and install scrubbers in several others or convert them to make them cleaner, at a cost of $25 billion, by 2021.<ref name="npca" /> As a result, TVA closed several of its coal-fired power plants in the 2010s, converting some to natural gas. These include John Sevier in 2012, Shawnee Unit 10 in 2014, Widows Creek in 2015, Colbert in 2016, Johnsonville and Paradise Units 1 and 2 in 2017, Allen in 2018, and Paradise Unit 3 in 2020.<ref>{{cite news |last=Flessner |first=Dave |date=January 8, 2018 |title=TVA cuts coal use |url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2018/jan/06/tvcuts-coal-usejohnsville-plant-shuts-down-af/460700/ |work=Chattanooga Times Free Press |location=Chattanooga, Tennessee |access-date=January 7, 2019 |archive-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404154330/https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2018/jan/06/tvcuts-coal-usejohnsville-plant-shuts-down-af/460700/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===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>