"TVA Helped Electrify The South — But Now Its Plans Are Sparking Backlash"

"The Tennessee Valley Authority is coming under fire from energy experts and environmentalists for building gas plants instead of renewables."

"President Biden has set a goal for the electric grid to stop producing planet-warming emissions by 2035. His signature Inflation Reduction Act is spending billions to supercharge investment in wind and solar power. And renewable energy is soaring throughout the country.

But one institution that might seem ripe for driving this transformation — the Tennessee Valley Authority, the nation’s largest public utility — is planning to build eight gas plants in the near future to undergird the grid in much of the Southern United States.

Thanks to its widespread use of nuclear and hydroelectric power, TVA already has a cleaner energy mix than many other utilities. But its embrace of gas to address future energy needs shows how even organizations that could move fastest to phase out fossil fuels are making compromises."

Nick Tabor reports for the Washington Post September 9, 2024.