83 FR 6668 - Environmental Impact Statement for 2019 Update to the Integrated Resource Plan
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 31 (February 14, 2018)
Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 31 (February 14, 2018)
| Page Range | 6668-6669 | |
| FR Document | 2018-03027 |
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2018)] [Notices] [Pages 6668-6669] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2018-03027] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY Environmental Impact Statement for 2019 Update to the Integrated Resource Plan AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. ACTION: Notice of intent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is conducting a study of its energy resources in order to update and replace the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and the associated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that it completed in 2015. The IRP is a comprehensive study of how TVA will meet the demand for electricity in its service territory over the next 20 years. The 2015 IRP is being updated in response to major changes in electrical utility industry trends since 2015, including flat to slightly declining load growth, advances in the development of distributed energy resources and the integration of those resources in the electric grid. As part of the study, TVA intends to prepare a programmatic EIS to assess the impacts associated with the implementation of the updated IRP. TVA will use the EIS process to elicit and prioritize the values and concerns of stakeholders; identify issues, trends, events, and tradeoffs affecting TVA's policies; formulate, evaluate and compare alternative portfolios of energy resource options; provide opportunities for public review and comment; and ensure that TVA's evaluation of alternative energy resource strategies reflects a full range of stakeholder input. Public comment is invited concerning both the scope of the EIS and environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS. DATES: To ensure consideration, comments on the scope and environmental issues must be postmarked, emailed or submitted online no later than April 16, 2018. To facilitate the scoping process, TVA will hold public scoping meetings; see http://www.tva.gov/irp for more information on the meetings. ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Ashley Pilakowski, NEPA Compliance Specialist, 400 West Summit Hill Dr., WT 11D, Knoxville, TN 37902-1499. Comments may also be submitted online at: www.tva.gov/irp, or by email at IRP@tva.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information about the NEPA process, please contact Ashley Pilakowski at the address above, by email at aapilakowski@tva.gov. For general information on the IRP process, contact Hunter Hydas, Tennessee Valley Authority, 1101 Market Street, MR 3M-C, Chattanooga, TN 37402 or by email at jhhydas@tva.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508) and TVA's procedures for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). TVA is an agency and instrumentality of the United States, established by an act of Congress in 1933, to foster the social and economic welfare of the people of the Tennessee Valley region and to promote the proper use and conservation of the region's natural resources. One component of this mission is the generation, transmission, and sale of reliable and affordable electric energy. TVA Power System TVA operates the nation's largest public power system, providing electricity to about 9 million people in an 80,000-square mile area comprised of most of Tennessee and parts of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky. It provides wholesale power to 154 independent local power companies and 56 directly served large industries and federal facilities. The TVA Act requires the TVA power system to be self-supporting and operated on a nonprofit basis and directs TVA to sell power at rates as low as are feasible. Dependable generating capability on the TVA power system is approximately 37,000 megawatts. TVA generates most of the power it distributes with 3 nuclear plants, 7 coal-fired plants, 9 simple-cycle combustion turbine plants, 7 combined-cycle combustion turbine plants, 29 hydroelectric dams, a pumped-storage facility, a methane-gas cofiring facility, a diesel-fired facility, and 16 small solar photovoltaic facilities. A portion of delivered power is provided through long-term power purchase agreements. In 2017, 25 percent of TVA's power supply was from coal; 38 percent from nuclear; 16 percent from natural gas; 9 percent from non-renewable purchases; 7 percent from hydro; and 5 percent from renewable power purchase agreements. TVA transmits electricity from these facilities over 16,000 circuit miles of transmission lines. Like other utility systems, TVA has power interchange agreements with utilities surrounding its region and purchases and sells power on an economic basis almost daily. Resource Planning TVA develops an Integrated Resource Plan to identify the most effective energy resource strategies that will meet TVA's mission and serve the people of the Valley for the next 20 years. In 2015, TVA completed the Integrated Resource Plan and associated Supplemental EIS. Since 2015, several industry-wide changes have led TVA to begin development of the new IRP and associated EIS ahead of the 5-year cycle identified in the 2015 IRP. Natural gas supplies are abundant and are projected to remain available at lower cost. The electric system load is expected to be flat, or even declining slightly, over the next ten years. The price of renewable resources, particularly solar, continues to decline. Consumer demand for renewable and distributed energy resources (including distributed generation, storage, demand response, energy services, and energy efficiency programs) is growing. Proposed Issues To Be Addressed Based on discussions with both internal and external stakeholders, TVA anticipates that the scope of the IRP EIS will include the cost and reliability of power, the availability and use of renewable and distributed energy resources, the effectiveness and implementation of demand side management options, the effect of energy efficiency programs, and the relationship of the economy to all of these options. The IRP EIS will address the effects of power production on the environment, including climate change, the effects of climate change on the Valley, and the waste and byproducts of TVA's power operations. Because of its nature as a planning document, the IRP will not identify specific locations for new resource options. Site-specific environmental effects of new resource options will be addressed in later site-specific assessments tiered off this programmatic EIS. Therefore, in this programmatic environmental impact statement, TVA anticipates that the environmental effects examined will primarily be those [[Page 6669]] at a regional level with some extending to a national or global level. Preliminary issues identified by TVA that will be reviewed in this analysis include:Emissions of greenhouse gases, fuel consumption, air quality, water quality and quantity, waste generation and disposal, land use, ecological, cultural resources, socioeconomic impacts and environmental justice. TVA invites suggestions concerning the list of issues which should be addressed. TVA also invites specific comments on the questions that will begin to be answered by this IRP: How do you think energy usage will change in the next 20 years in the Tennessee Valley region? Should the diversity of the current power generation mix (e.g., coal, nuclear power, natural gas, hydro, renewable resources) change? If so, how? How should distributed energy resources be considered in TVA planning? How should energy efficiency and demand response be considered in planning for future energy needs and how can TVA directly affect electricity usage by consumers? And how will the resource decisions discussed above affect the reliability, dispatchability (ability to turn on or off energy resources) and cost of electricity? Analytical Approach TVA employs a scenario planning approach when developing an IRP. The major steps in this approach include identifying the future need for power, developing scenarios and strategies, determining potential supply-side and demand-side energy resource options, developing portfolios associated with the strategies and ranking strategies and portfolios. The 2015 IRP, developed with extensive public involvement, evaluated six alternative energy resource strategies which differed in the amount of purchased power, energy efficiency and demand response efforts, renewable energy resources, nuclear generating capacity additions, and coal-fired generation. The alternative strategies were analyzed in the context of five different scenarios that described plausible future economic, financial, regulatory and legislated conditions, as well as social trends and adoption of technological innovations. TVA then developed a preferred alternative, the Target Power Supply Mix, based on guideline ranges for key energy resources. In developing the Target Power Supply Mix, TVA took into account its least-cost planning requirement and customer priorities of power cost and reliability, as well as other comments it received during the public comment periods. The Target Power Supply Mix established ranges, in MW, for coal plant retirements and additions of nuclear, hydroelectric, demand response, energy efficiency, solar, wind, and natural gas capacity. TVA anticipates using an analytical approach similar to that of the 2015 IRP/EIS described above. The number of alternative energy resource strategies and scenarios to be evaluated may differ from the 2015 IRP/EIS and will be determined after the completion of scoping. Scoping Process Scoping, which is integral to the process for implementing NEPA, provides an early and open process to ensure that (1) issues are identified early and properly studied; (2) issues of little significance do not consume substantial time and effort; (3) the draft EIS is thorough and balanced; and (4) delays caused by an inadequate EIS are avoided. With the help of the public, TVA will identify the most effective energy resource strategy that will meet TVA's mission and serve the people of the Valley for the next 20 years. To ensure that the full range of issues and a comprehensive portfolio of energy resources are addressed, TVA invites members of the public as well as Federal, state, and local agencies and Indian tribes to comment on the scope of the IRP EIS. As part of the IRP process and in addition to other public engagement opportunities, TVA is assembling representatives from key stakeholders to participate in a working group that will discuss tradeoffs associated with different resource options and assist TVA in developing an optimal energy resource strategy. Comments on the scope of this IRP EIS should be submitted no later than the date given under the DATES section of this notice. Any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and will be available for public inspection. After consideration of the comments received during this scoping period, TVA will summarize public and agency comments, identify the issues and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS, and identify the schedule for completing the EIS process. Following analysis of the issues, TVA will prepare a draft EIS for public review and comment. Notice of availability of the draft EIS will be published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the Federal Register. TVA will solicit written comments on the draft IRP and EIS and also hold public meetings for this purpose. TVA expects to release the draft IRP and EIS in late 2018. TVA anticipates issuing the final IRP and EIS in 2019. Dated: February 8, 2018. M. Susan Smelley, Director, Environmental Compliance and Operations. [FR Doc. 2018-03027 Filed 2-13-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
![6668 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 14, 2018 / Notices
• Chapter 17 of the United States- hold public scoping meetings; see percent of TVA’s power supply was
Morocco Free Trade Agreement; and http://www.tva.gov/irp for more from coal; 38 percent from nuclear; 16
• Final Environmental Review of the information on the meetings. percent from natural gas; 9 percent from
United States–Morocco Free Trade ADDRESSES: Written comments should non-renewable purchases; 7 percent
Agreement. be sent to Ashley Pilakowski, NEPA from hydro; and 5 percent from
These documents are available at: Compliance Specialist, 400 West renewable power purchase agreements.
http://www.state.gov/e/oes/eqt/trade/ Summit Hill Dr., WT 11D, Knoxville, TVA transmits electricity from these
morocco/index.htm. TN 37902–1499. Comments may also be facilities over 16,000 circuit miles of
submitted online at: www.tva.gov/irp, or transmission lines. Like other utility
Robert Wing,
by email at IRP@tva.gov. systems, TVA has power interchange
Acting Director, Office of Environmental agreements with utilities surrounding
Quality and Transboundary Issues, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
general information about the NEPA its region and purchases and sells power
Department of State.
process, please contact Ashley on an economic basis almost daily.
[FR Doc. 2018–03117 Filed 2–13–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710–09–P
Pilakowski at the address above, by Resource Planning
email at aapilakowski@tva.gov. For TVA develops an Integrated Resource
general information on the IRP process, Plan to identify the most effective
TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY contact Hunter Hydas, Tennessee Valley energy resource strategies that will meet
Authority, 1101 Market Street, MR TVA’s mission and serve the people of
Environmental Impact Statement for 3M–C, Chattanooga, TN 37402 or by the Valley for the next 20 years. In 2015,
2019 Update to the Integrated email at jhhydas@tva.gov. TVA completed the Integrated Resource
Resource Plan SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Plan and associated Supplemental EIS.
notice is provided in accordance with Since 2015, several industry-wide
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority. the Council on Environmental Quality’s changes have led TVA to begin
ACTION: Notice of intent. Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508) development of the new IRP and
and TVA’s procedures for implementing associated EIS ahead of the 5-year cycle
SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley the National Environmental Policy Act
Authority (TVA) is conducting a study identified in the 2015 IRP. Natural gas
(NEPA). TVA is an agency and supplies are abundant and are projected
of its energy resources in order to instrumentality of the United States, to remain available at lower cost. The
update and replace the Integrated established by an act of Congress in electric system load is expected to be
Resource Plan (IRP) and the associated 1933, to foster the social and economic flat, or even declining slightly, over the
Supplemental Environmental Impact welfare of the people of the Tennessee next ten years. The price of renewable
Statement (EIS) that it completed in Valley region and to promote the proper resources, particularly solar, continues
2015. The IRP is a comprehensive study use and conservation of the region’s to decline. Consumer demand for
of how TVA will meet the demand for natural resources. One component of renewable and distributed energy
electricity in its service territory over this mission is the generation, resources (including distributed
the next 20 years. The 2015 IRP is being transmission, and sale of reliable and generation, storage, demand response,
updated in response to major changes in affordable electric energy. energy services, and energy efficiency
electrical utility industry trends since
TVA Power System programs) is growing.
2015, including flat to slightly declining
load growth, advances in the TVA operates the nation’s largest Proposed Issues To Be Addressed
development of distributed energy public power system, providing Based on discussions with both
resources and the integration of those electricity to about 9 million people in internal and external stakeholders, TVA
resources in the electric grid. As part of an 80,000-square mile area comprised of anticipates that the scope of the IRP EIS
the study, TVA intends to prepare a most of Tennessee and parts of Virginia, will include the cost and reliability of
programmatic EIS to assess the impacts North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, power, the availability and use of
associated with the implementation of Mississippi, and Kentucky. It provides renewable and distributed energy
the updated IRP. TVA will use the EIS wholesale power to 154 independent resources, the effectiveness and
process to elicit and prioritize the local power companies and 56 directly implementation of demand side
values and concerns of stakeholders; served large industries and federal management options, the effect of
identify issues, trends, events, and facilities. The TVA Act requires the energy efficiency programs, and the
tradeoffs affecting TVA’s policies; TVA power system to be self-supporting relationship of the economy to all of
formulate, evaluate and compare and operated on a nonprofit basis and these options. The IRP EIS will address
alternative portfolios of energy resource directs TVA to sell power at rates as low the effects of power production on the
options; provide opportunities for as are feasible. environment, including climate change,
public review and comment; and ensure Dependable generating capability on the effects of climate change on the
that TVA’s evaluation of alternative the TVA power system is approximately Valley, and the waste and byproducts of
energy resource strategies reflects a full 37,000 megawatts. TVA generates most TVA’s power operations.
range of stakeholder input. Public of the power it distributes with 3 Because of its nature as a planning
comment is invited concerning both the nuclear plants, 7 coal-fired plants, 9 document, the IRP will not identify
scope of the EIS and environmental simple-cycle combustion turbine plants, specific locations for new resource
issues that should be addressed as a part 7 combined-cycle combustion turbine options. Site-specific environmental
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
of this EIS. plants, 29 hydroelectric dams, a effects of new resource options will be
DATES: To ensure consideration, pumped-storage facility, a methane-gas addressed in later site-specific
comments on the scope and cofiring facility, a diesel-fired facility, assessments tiered off this programmatic
environmental issues must be and 16 small solar photovoltaic EIS. Therefore, in this programmatic
postmarked, emailed or submitted facilities. A portion of delivered power environmental impact statement, TVA
online no later than April 16, 2018. To is provided through long-term power anticipates that the environmental
facilitate the scoping process, TVA will purchase agreements. In 2017, 25 effects examined will primarily be those
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![Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 31 / Wednesday, February 14, 2018 / Notices 6669
at a regional level with some extending Power Supply Mix, TVA took into draft EIS will be published by the U.S.
to a national or global level. Preliminary account its least-cost planning Environmental Protection Agency in the
issues identified by TVA that will be requirement and customer priorities of Federal Register. TVA will solicit
reviewed in this analysis include: power cost and reliability, as well as written comments on the draft IRP and
• Emissions of greenhouse gases, other comments it received during the EIS and also hold public meetings for
• fuel consumption, public comment periods. The Target this purpose. TVA expects to release the
• air quality, Power Supply Mix established ranges, draft IRP and EIS in late 2018. TVA
• water quality and quantity, in MW, for coal plant retirements and anticipates issuing the final IRP and EIS
• waste generation and disposal, additions of nuclear, hydroelectric, in 2019.
• land use, demand response, energy efficiency,
• ecological, Dated: February 8, 2018.
solar, wind, and natural gas capacity.
• cultural resources, TVA anticipates using an analytical
M. Susan Smelley,
• socioeconomic impacts and approach similar to that of the 2015 IRP/ Director, Environmental Compliance and
environmental justice. Operations.
EIS described above. The number of
TVA invites suggestions concerning alternative energy resource strategies [FR Doc. 2018–03027 Filed 2–13–18; 8:45 am]
the list of issues which should be and scenarios to be evaluated may differ BILLING CODE 8120–08–P
addressed. TVA also invites specific from the 2015 IRP/EIS and will be
comments on the questions that will determined after the completion of
begin to be answered by this IRP: scoping. TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
• How do you think energy usage will
change in the next 20 years in the Scoping Process Sunshine Act Meeting Notice
Tennessee Valley region? Scoping, which is integral to the Meeting No. 18–01
• Should the diversity of the current process for implementing NEPA,
power generation mix (e.g., coal, nuclear provides an early and open process to The TVA Board of Directors will hold
power, natural gas, hydro, renewable ensure that (1) issues are identified early a public meeting on February 16, 2018,
resources) change? If so, how? and properly studied; (2) issues of little in the Missionary Ridge Auditorium of
• How should distributed energy significance do not consume substantial the Chattanooga Office Complex, 1101
resources be considered in TVA time and effort; (3) the draft EIS is Market Street, Chattanooga, Tennessee.
planning? thorough and balanced; and (4) delays The public may comment on any agenda
• How should energy efficiency and caused by an inadequate EIS are item or subject at a public listening
demand response be considered in avoided. session which begins at 9:30 a.m. (ET).
planning for future energy needs and With the help of the public, TVA will Following the end of the public
how can TVA directly affect electricity identify the most effective energy listening session, the meeting will be
usage by consumers? resource strategy that will meet TVA’s called to order to consider the agenda
• And how will the resource mission and serve the people of the items listed below. On-site registration
decisions discussed above affect the Valley for the next 20 years. To ensure will be available until 15 minutes before
reliability, dispatchability (ability to that the full range of issues and a the public listening session begins at
turn on or off energy resources) and cost comprehensive portfolio of energy 9:30 a.m. (ET). Preregistered speakers
of electricity? resources are addressed, TVA invites will address the Board first. TVA
members of the public as well as management will answer questions from
Analytical Approach the news media following the Board
Federal, state, and local agencies and
TVA employs a scenario planning Indian tribes to comment on the scope meeting.
approach when developing an IRP. The of the IRP EIS. As part of the IRP process STATUS: Open.
major steps in this approach include and in addition to other public Agenda
identifying the future need for power, engagement opportunities, TVA is Chair’s Welcome
developing scenarios and strategies, assembling representatives from key Discussion of committee membership
determining potential supply-side and stakeholders to participate in a working Old Business
demand-side energy resource options, group that will discuss tradeoffs Approval of minutes of the November
developing portfolios associated with associated with different resource 9, 2017, Board Meeting
the strategies and ranking strategies and options and assist TVA in developing an New Business
portfolios. The 2015 IRP, developed optimal energy resource strategy. 1. Report from President and CEO
with extensive public involvement, Comments on the scope of this IRP 2. Report of the Finance, Rates, and
evaluated six alternative energy EIS should be submitted no later than Portfolio Committee
resource strategies which differed in the the date given under the DATES section 3. Report of the Audit, Risk, and
amount of purchased power, energy of this notice. Any comments received, Regulation Committee
efficiency and demand response efforts, including names and addresses, will 4. Report of the Nuclear Oversight
renewable energy resources, nuclear become part of the administrative record Committee
generating capacity additions, and coal- and will be available for public 5. Report of the External Relations
fired generation. The alternative inspection. Committee
strategies were analyzed in the context After consideration of the comments A. FACA Charter Renewals
of five different scenarios that described received during this scoping period, 6. Report of the People and
plausible future economic, financial, TVA will summarize public and agency Performance Committee
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
regulatory and legislated conditions, as comments, identify the issues and 7. Information Items
well as social trends and adoption of alternatives to be addressed in the EIS, A. Conveyance of Power System
technological innovations. TVA then and identify the schedule for Assets to a Customer
developed a preferred alternative, the completing the EIS process. Following B. Committee Membership
Target Power Supply Mix, based on analysis of the issues, TVA will prepare For more information: Please call
guideline ranges for key energy a draft EIS for public review and TVA Media Relations at (865) 632–6000,
resources. In developing the Target comment. Notice of availability of the Knoxville, Tennessee. People who plan
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Document Created: 2018-02-14 03:59:30
Document Modified: 2018-02-14 03:59:30
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice of intent. | |
| Dates | To ensure consideration, comments on the scope and environmental issues must be postmarked, emailed or submitted online no later than April 16, 2018. To facilitate the scoping process, TVA will hold public scoping meetings; see http://www.tva.gov/irp for more information on the meetings. | |
| Contact | For general information about the NEPA | |
| FR Citation | 83 FR 6668 |
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