Tennessee Valley Authority seeking public input on draft Environmental Assessment for private-scale renewable offerings

The Tennessee Valley Authority recently announced that it is seeking public input on a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for its Green Power Providers (GPP) program, which aims to promote the growth of small-scale renewable energy systems.

The TVA board approved the closure of new applications to the GPP program effective Jan. 1, 2020, pending the completion of an appropriate environmental review in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. All current GPP customers will continue participation through the terms of their agreements.

The draft EA assesses the expected environmental impacts of three possibilities: continuing the GPP program unchanged; closing GPP and providing no replacement program; and closing GPP and implementing a new private-scale renewable service offering.

TVA said that it is reviewing its renewable solutions to “build on GPP’s success” and “benefit consumers by aligning customer needs with market conditions and evolving technologies while minimizing cost-shifting to non-participants.”

Comments should be submitted or postmarked no later than Nov. 8, TVA said. Comments can be submitted online, by email or in writing. TVA noted that all comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and will be available for public inspection.

TVA launched the Generation Partners pilot program in 2003, which later evolved into the GPP program. Today, TVA sources renewable energy from approximately 4,000 locations across seven states, and nearly 60 percent of the electricity TVA generates is carbon-free.