TVA Invites Comments on Environmental Review for Transmission Project

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Jan 18, 2011, 04:37 ET

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Tennessee Valley Authority will conduct a public meeting to receive comments on the potential environmental effects of a proposed power supply improvement project in Putnam, Cumberland and neighboring counties in central East Tennessee.

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Either a new 500-kilovolt substation or extensive 161-kV transmission upgrades will be required in Putnam and Cumberland counties by 2016 to meet anticipated power loads.

The population of Putnam and Cumberland counties has grown nearly 1.8 percent per year since 2000. Most existing transmission facilities in the area will not meet acceptable voltage criteria by 2016, and by 2019 all facilities are expected to be overloaded.

The public can obtain more information and provide comments about the alternatives TVA is considering during an open house in Cookeville on Jan. 20, 3-7 p.m. CST, in the Willow Place Conference Center, Cascade Hall, 225 North Willow Ave., Cookeville, Tenn.

TVA is seeking comments on the scope of the project and what kind of environmental review will be necessary. TVA will consider these comments in drafting an Environmental Impact Statement or other form of environmental review. Comments can be submitted at the open house, by mail, e-mail or fax through Feb. 22, 2011. More information is on the TVA website at http://www.tva.com/power/projects/putnamcounty_tn/index.htm.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia – an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 36,000 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA's service territory are below the national average.

SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority