TVA Creates New Power Research Institute With Three-Year, $5 Million Grant

A new Public Power Institute will be established with a three-year commitment of at least $5 million from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA; Knoxville, TN; 423-632-6000), the largest producer of public power in the U.S. The new research organization will investigate ways to generate cost-effective, environmentally safe electricity using new technologies and sustainable energy resources.

Public Power Institute
About the TVA

Public Power Institute (Back to Top)
The Institute will serve as both a research laboratory seeking more sustainable power production and as a think tank on energy and environmental public policies. The Institute's goals include:

• Enhancing the role of public power in a deregulated marketplace
• Researching new power production technologies and environmental policy issues
• Developing and implementing strategic partnerships with institutions that can benefit from public power forums and new environmental strategies
• Examining emerging issues including the choices and trade-offs utilities face when developing new power plants.

"We hope that the Institute will stand as a symbol of the vision that public power companies such as TVA bring to the energy industry," says Craven Crowell, TVA chairman. "It's a vision that puts the public good ahead of the bottom line, and a vision that values long-term benefits over short-run gains."

About The TVA (Back to Top)
"Over the years, the TVA has devoted considerable time and resources to researching more efficient, 'greener' energy technologies," Crowell says. "As a public utility, we see this as our responsibility to the people we serve—our communities and our neighbors." The creation of the Institute is a continuation of this mission, he says.

The TVA's commitment to cleaner energy is fueled by its awareness that the organization generates electricity and waste "in our own backyard," Crowell says. Because of this, the TVA has worked to reduce pollution in the seven-state region that it serves.

The TVA is a self-financed federal corporation that was created in 1933 with a broad mandate to serve as a power company, steward of natural resources, and agency for economic development. The TVA provides power to large industries and 159 power distributors that serve approximately 8 million consumers in seven southeastern states.

For more information, call Steve Bender or John Moulton at the TVA at 423-632-6000.