TVA Operations to Continue Despite Potential Shutdown
The Tennessee Valley Authority will not be affected by a potential federal government shutdown, according to TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks. “TVA is funded almost exclusively from the sales of electricity with no federal appropriations. In the case of a federal government shutdown, operations at TVA would not be impacted,” Brooks said in an emailed response.
TVA operates as a federally owned corporation but is financially self-sustaining. Unlike most other federal agencies, TVA does not receive taxpayer funding through congressional appropriations. Instead, it generates revenue by selling electricity to local power companies and large industrial customers across the Tennessee Valley region, which includes Tennessee and parts of six surrounding states.
If Congress does not approve funding before midnight, the U.S. government will shut down. A shutdown would halt some operations in various federal agency departments, place non-essential employees on leave, and delay services. The impasse represents the ongoing disagreement and deliberation in Congress regarding funding levels and policy priorities.
Since TVA finances itself independently of the federal budget process, TVA will continue its usual day-to-day operations, power generation operations, and customer services, even if other federal agencies furlough employees or halt services during the shutdown. This means customers in the region will not experience any disruptions in electric service due to the federal shutdown.
TVA employs more than 10,000 workers and provides power to nearly 10 million people. Congress created TVA in 1933, and it is the nation’s largest public utility.