A Smarter, Cleaner Future: Key Takeaways from SREA's TVA IRP Comments

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is shaping the future of energy in the Southeast with its 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The Southern Renewable Energy Association (SREA) has weighed in, offering forward-thinking recommendations to ensure TVA embraces a cost-effective, resilient, and low-carbon energy future.

What TVA Needs to Do Next

SREA’s comments focus on seven key actions TVA should take to improve its IRP:
🔹 Expand Clean Energy Investments – TVA should increase its annual solar, wind, and storage build limits to reflect the growing demand and cost-effectiveness of renewables.

🔹 Commit to a Clear Action Plan – Instead of vague long-term strategies, TVA should develop a near-term roadmap prioritizing proven renewable technologies like solar, wind, and battery storage.

🔹 Launch an Annual Clean Energy Procurement Process – To meet demand efficiently, TVA should procure 2-3 GW of solar, wind and batteries per year, adjusting based on market conditions.

🔹 Give Customers More Renewable Energy Options – TVA should expand customer access to clean energy through sleeved power purchase agreements (PPAs) and by allowing local utilities to contract directly for renewables.

🔹 Fix Transmission Bottlenecks – TVA needs proactive transmission planning to lower costs and make it easier to connect new renewable projects to the grid.

🔹 Streamline the Interconnection Process – Reforming how new energy projects connect to the grid will reduce costs and speed up development of renewable energy.

🔹 Improve Modeling for a Renewable-Powered Grid – TVA must refine its planning models to better account for the value of renewables, storage, and the changing dynamics of the energy system.

Why This Matters

TVA’s 2025 IRP will shape the region’s energy future for decades. By following SREA’s recommendations, TVA can create an affordable, reliable, and low-carbon energy system that benefits customers, businesses, and the environment.  The choices made today will directly affect millions of customers, businesses, and industries across the Southeast.

💡 Lower Energy Costs – Renewable energy is now one of the cheapest sources of electricity, yet TVA’s current plan limits its growth. Expanding wind, solar, and storage will help keep energy affordable and predictable, protecting customers from the price volatility of fossil fuels.

⚡ Improved Grid Reliability – Recent winter storms have shown that traditional power plants—especially coal and gas—can fail under extreme conditions. By diversifying with renewables and battery storage, TVA can strengthen the grid against outages and reduce blackout risks.

🌍 Environmental & Economic Benefits – The transition to clean energy isn’t just about cutting emissions—it’s about job creation, innovation, and economic growth. Investments in renewable energy and transmission infrastructure will bring billions in private investment to the Tennessee Valley region, boosting local economies and creating thousands of high-paying jobs.

🚀 Keeping TVA Competitive – Utilities across the country are rapidly expanding their clean energy portfolios to meet growing demand and climate goals. If TVA lags behind, it risks losing large customers who want clean, competitively priced electricity—which could hurt economic development in the region.

The bottom line? TVA has a historic opportunity to build a cleaner, more affordable, and more resilient energy system. But to get there, it needs to take bolder, faster action.

Whit Cox is SREA's Regulatory Director. In a former life, he worked as an attorney for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission and for the Arkansas Public Service Commission.