On Friday, August 21, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s board of directors approved a long-term plan for the utility’s future. Called an Integrated Resource Plan, or IRP, its intent is to forecast how TVA will generate power over roughly the next twenty years.
Stephen Smith can analyze the IRP from an environmental standpoint. Smith is the director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. He says there are some points in the plan that he likes, and that he appreciates TVA reaching out to environmental groups for comment. But he also tells WUOT All Things Considered host Brandon Hollingsworth that the IRP falls short of the potential of renewable energy resources.