Tennessee Valley Authority’s New Fortress-Like Facility
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has constructed a state-of-the-art facility designed to withstand severe natural disasters and even a ballistic attack. Remarkably, the new nerve center of the TVA’s operations, located approximately 30 miles from its current site in downtown Chattanooga, is poised to resilience for the federal utility’s power distribution.
Features of the New System Operations Center
Boasting a hefty price tag of $300 million, the new system operations center in Meigs County is tasked with the mammoth responsibility of supervising 16,000 miles of transmission lines, 500 substations, and numerous power plants across TVA’s seven-state region. Work on this project kick-started in the year 2020 and is expected to reach completion by the fall of 2026.
Installed on a grand 166-acre property in Georgetown, Tennessee, off State Highway 58, the sprawling center will accommodate approximately 200 employees once fully operational. “This, when it’s operational, will be the most secure complex in the valley,” said Aaron Melda, TVA’s senior vice president of transmission and power supply.
Inside the Power Command and Control Center
The operations center echoes with the intensity of its role. Rows of desks equipped with monitors stare at an array of colossal, vibrant screens, which fan out across three walls. Designed to be the most advanced power command and control center in the nation, the facility aims to streamline operators’ ability to forecast consumer power demands and extreme weather for the company’s 10 million consumers.
Operators within the center will receive real-time status updates on the utility’s power system, facilitating a smoother flow of electricity to customers. Additionally, the improved facility will enable the agency to rapidly and efficiently buy or sell surplus power, subsequently transferring the cost savings to ratepayers.
Fostering Efficient Power Distribution
The fortification of this control center will not only ensure faster restoration of power during outages but also enable the swift transfer of power from TVA’s diverse energy sources. These include nuclear, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, wind, and solar power, effectively matching the supply with consumer demand.
Employing high-tech measures for traditional roles, the center is approximately 99% construction complete, with employees rigorously testing the new system. By 2026, this facility is expected to take over the primary operations, effectively replacing the existing center in Chattanooga.
Focus on Employee Training and Cybersecurity
Provisioned with an in-built simulation room, the new facility is equipped to train operators for all kinds of scenarios, including knocked-off power lines or a cybersecurity event, thereby further adding to the center’s resilience.
Despite the move towards more technologically advanced operations, the emphasis on the importance of human judgment and decision-making remains strong. Operators are entrusted with the authority to take necessary actions for the protection of the bulk electric system.
Meanwhile, the continued concern for cybersecurity threats sees a dedicated facility in downtown Chattanooga continuously monitoring for possible cyberattacks. With approximately a whopping 1 million cyberattacks targeted at the agency daily, it is imperative to stay ahead of potential threats.
