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Lawmakers question TVA plan
Credit: Paul C. Barton, Tennessean Washington Bureau | May 14, 2014 | www.tennessean.com ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander and Rep. Stephen Fincher are questioning a proposal the Tennessee Valley Authority is considering to purchase wind-generated electricity from Oklahoma.
Alexander and Fincher, R-Frog Jump, sent a letter Wednesday to Bill Johnson, CEO of the TVA, expressing concern about the agency possibly buying wind power from Clean Line Energy Partners in Oklahoma and transporting it 700 miles to Memphis.
“When evaluating Clean Line Energy Partners’ proposal, we hope that TVA will first consider whether TVA needs additional generation capacity and then determine the best option to produce clean, cheap, and reliable electricity for ratepayers in the TVA region,” the two lawmakers wrote.
Alexander is a longstanding opponent of federal tax credits that benefit wind power.
Clean Line Energy approached TVA with the proposal, but details of what it had in mind were unavailable.
In their letter, the senator and representative asked several questions, including whether:
• The purchase of power from that distance would increase security threats to TVA’s system.
• TVA customers would be hit with a rate increase if Congress this year fails to renew the wind-power tax credit. They said the tax break faces “strong opposition.”
• Wind power, much of it generated at night, would benefit TVA when its peak demand for electricity is 4-7 p.m.
• TVA has compared wind’s cost with that of other types of additional power.
• The deal would affect Tennessee property owners through eminent-domain proceedings, in which government agencies buy land for needed improvements.
• TVA has changed its September 2013 position that reduced electricity demand made additional power unnecessary.
“I’m particularly concerned about any possible use of eminent domain in order to complete this project, and the impact on energy costs this would have on citizens of West Tennessee,” Fincher said in a statement.
In response, TVA officials said they would carefully evaluate the economics of the Clean Line proposal.
“TVA is committed to using multiple sources, including renewable energy, as part of our future supply,” the agency said in a prepared statement.
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