Richard's Real Estate Thoughts: TVA IRP - Integrated Resource Planning - Energy needs for Chattanooga, Tennessee, Georgia

TVA is into the 18^th month of its Integrated Resource Plan a look forward to energy needs over the next 20 years. Last week TVA held an information session at Green/Spaces to inform the public about the IRP, its scope and its current status.

The idea of IRP is to determine future power requirements and to identify capacity structures needed to meet that capacity, covering its entire 9 million people and 7 state region.

TVA is determining what growth to anticipate and what combination of nuclear, coal, gas, or alternative enerty plants will best power that growth. Which alternative energy technologies may provide the best solution.

More detail is available here on the TVA studies to date.

The first question is Where are we now?

Followed by Where are we going?

The session last week focused much on the IRP process.

 Where we are going is of course is difficult to discern. The IRP study team has developed 7 scenarios with various growth possibilities.

To meet these scenarios, the IRP is considering 5 strategies.

Combining these scenarios and the strategies gives 35 distinct 20 year expansion plans.

The expectation is to have the initial draft of the IRP published and available by September.  The goal is to provide the right plans for cost, capacity, evironment, and economic. The combination of plans will need to be flexible enough to accomodate to new technology and shifting priorities.

Quarterly reviews will then be held. The first reviews have been tentatively scheduled for  Bowling Green on 10/5, Olive Branch on 10/7, Knoxville on 10/13, and Huntsville on 10/14. There will also be internet access via a webcast to access these reviews. Questions and comments will be possible at the review session and via the website.

Smart Grid concepts were discussed in the question period, as part of the flexibility that must be incorporated into a 20 year plan, to be able to incorporate new technologies. Clean energy was also brought up at the session, especially from the audience questions.

While there were less than 20 people at the presentation, the questions were informed and challenging. This is an exciting project - to look at where our possibilities for the next 20 years. Exciting and demanding.

Take some time to learn, and then get involved in this discussion. It is our future that is the topic.

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