U.S. Sens. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) hosted a roundtable discussion in Knoxville on Monday to review the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) draft plans for how it will meet growing electricity demands.
Released in March, the plans also identify how the TVA will maintain low-cost, competitive power rates that will continue to drive economic development and create jobs in the region.
“Nothing is more important to me than Tennesseans’ standard of living and our state’s ability to attract high-quality jobs,” Corker said following the meeting. “TVA’s ability to carry out its mission of providing low-cost, reliable power directly impacts that.”
During the roundtable, the senators asked numerous questions of the panel participants, which included Bill Johnson, president and CEO of the TVA; Wayne Henson, chairman of the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association; and Lloyd Webb, director of Energy Procurement at Olin Chlor Alkali and representative of the Tennessee Valley Industrial Committee.
“Our discussion focused on ensuring TVA is operating in the best interest of ratepayers and hardworking Tennesseans, and is not swayed by outside influence to over-invest in power sources like wind and solar that do not make sense in Tennessee,” Corker added.
A final version of the plan will be presented to the TVA board of directors during the summer.