TVA Improves Tracking Methods for New Technology, Increases Security of Records

• Independent watchdogs say the TVA needs to improve its operations.
• The report comes as TVA races to meet its ambitious decarbonization goals.
• TVA does not consistently track the technology it employs, the report said.
• TVA also does not adequately track how it stores and protects research and development information.

As the Tennessee Valley Authority pushes to meet its ambitious decarbonization goals, the agency’s independent watchdog is calling on the nation’s largest public utility to bring more discipline to its operations.

Among its major conclusions, the Inspector General’s TVA office said the TVA is choosing new technologies, such as small modular nuclear reactors, to power 10 million people in Tennessee and parts of six other states. I discovered that I need to improve the way I track As an industrial and federal facility.

In addition, the Inspector General does not effectively track the R&D records that the TVA creates, which may be vulnerable to outsiders as the records are stored at home or on shared drives. I warned you there is.

The Inspector General’s report, issued Thursday, focused on the findings and recommendations, and included the TVA’s response to the report.

What did the watchdog report recommend?

“Over the past decade, TVAs have generally adopted mature resource technology that is commercially available,” the inspector general’s report said. “However, as the TVA seeks to integrate new resource technologies such as small modular reactors, having a consistent method for evaluating new technologies could result in costs, increases, schedule delays, or lower than expected capacity. It can reduce adverse effects such as providing

The Inspector General recommends that the TVA adopt new technology and follow the framework promoted by the Government Accountability Office to assess its risk and readiness. TVA said it already has various methods in place for the assessment, but has agreed to standardize the process to follow the Government Accountability Office’s recommendations.