North Region
STEM partnerships keep growing
TVA and local power company partners celebrated the opening of two new Cal Ripken Sr. STEM Centers in the North Region. On March 12, the Bedford County Boys and Girls Club celebrated their ribbon cutting in Shelbyville, Tenn., and on March 13, the Boys and Girls Club of Franklin-Simpson Inc. cut the ribbon on their center in Franklin, Ky.
Careers on Wheels inspires future lineworkers
TVA participated in Careers on Wheels Day at Cane Ridge Elementary School in Antioch, Tenn. on March 7. The event allowed TVA to share how we serve the communities of the Tennessee Valley region, how a bucket truck helps lineworkers keep the lights on, and the importance of working safely around electricity.
East Region
Employees, retirees celebrate Bull Run’s legacy of service
On March 21, about 450 employees, retirees, TVA leaders, public officials and customers gathered at Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, Tenn., to honor the legacy of the plant. Bull Run was retired in December 2023 after 56 years of operation.
Designed to produce up to 950 megawatts, Bull Run was built in 1967 and was the largest fossil plant in the world in terms of volume of steam produced. It generated enough energy to power more than 500,000 homes. It was recognized 14 times with the Best Heat Rate award in the U.S.
TVA is pursuing a wide range of potential development and/or redevelopment opportunities that would add value to the community impacted by the plant’s retirement.
The TVA/Ripken STEM Center train keeps rolling
The month of March also brought two more East Region Ripken STEM Center ribbon-cutting celebrations. Events took place in Chattanooga, Tenn., on March 15 and Oneida, Tenn., on March 25.
The Chattanooga celebration, at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chattanooga’s Emma Wheeler Homes location, was attended by TVA Board member Bobby Klein, TVA Regional Executive Carol Eimers and EPB Vice President of Government & Community Relations Evann Freeman along with additional TVA leaders and staffers of state and local elected officials (as well as SPOT the robot dog).
South Region
Browns Ferry Nuclear successfully synced back to grid
Browns Ferry Unit 3 was successfully synced back to the grid in late March following its scheduled refueling and maintenance outage. With more than 12,000 activities completed over the course of the outage by more than 1,200 employees and 800 contractors, the work completed prepares the unit for a two-year cycle of operation, supplying the Tennessee Valley with low-cost, carbon-free electricity. Work performed during this outage included the replacement of three low-pressure feedwater heaters to enhance the unit’s thermal efficiency. These replacements also support TVA’s intention to extend the service life of its reactors.
Transmission siting open house for proposed project at Redstone Arsenal
Members of the transmission siting team held an open house in late March and received input from the public on the proposed transmission system improvements to provide power for the growing load and increased power reliability in the Redstone Arsenal and Huntsville areas of Madison County, Ala. TVA proposes to invest about $8 million to build a new power line connection. More information, including maps and the project schedule, is available on TVA.com.
STEM grants bring learning to life
Teachers at 69 Alabama schools who received STEM classroom grants from TVA and BVI continue to bring their projects to life. In Lawrence County, that meant a robotics search and rescue challenge, work cell manufacturing and aquaponics.
Students at Deshler Middle School in Tuscumbia, Ala., explored the benefits of soil and how it correlates to food quality, built raised beds and harvested fruits and vegetables to give to a local food bank.
At the Alabama Aerospace and Aviation High School in Bessemer, Ala., students practiced coding and solving issues in real-time as a team. It’s great to see the many ways that students are being inspired to learn and pursue careers in STEM.
West Region
STEM grants awarded in Memphis, Tenn.
TVA, Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. and Memphis Light, Water and Gas awarded 22 schools across Memphis and Shelby County, Tenn., with STEM grants. The grants ranged from $1,500 to $5,000 and were awarded to further support education in environment, energy, economic and career development and community problem-solving.
The West Region held an event at the Memphis Shelby County School District Office and presented checks to 14 of those schools. At the event, representatives from TVA, BVI, MLGW and Memphis Shelby County Schools spoke.