The Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation’s largest wholesale electric power producer. Through 158 municipal and cooperative power distributors, TVA serves nearly eight million people in an 80,000 square mile region across seven states, including most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. TVA also sells power directly to some large industrial and federal customers.
TVA’s current generating capacity is 31,517 megawatts. Electricity is produced through a combination of coal-fired, hydroelectric, nuclear, and combustion turbine plants. In fiscal year 2002, TVA sold 160.1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity — more than enough power for three cities the size of New York.
TVA is committed to maintaining competitive electric rates for its customers. Electric rates in the TVA region are among the lowest in the country. TVA is prepared to enter the competitive marketplace as the electric utility industry moves toward deregulation. Costs have been reduced, productivity and efficiency have been improved, and the range of services provided to customers has been expanded.
The TVA power system is completely self financing, imposing no direct or indirect burden or liability on the Nation’s taxpayers.
TVA is a wholesale supplier of electric power to the Pickwick Electric Cooperative. TVA has been a leader in implementing innovative pricing arrangements which have lowered the price to eligible customers. These innovative pricing arrangements decrease rates for commercial and industrial customers. TVA’s economic development field offices provide direct and customized economic development services with a goal of helping to create high-value jobs and increasing the production of goods and services.
All of the West Tennessee Industrial Association’s service area is served from locally-owned systems of distributors which purchase power at wholesale from TVA.