TVA owns and operates one of the largest and most reliable transmission systems in North America, serving some 9 million residents in an 80,000-square-mile area spanning portions of seven states. TVA's transmission system moves electric power from the generating plants where it is produced to distributors of TVA power and to industrial and federal customers across the region. Since 2000, the TVA system has delivered 99.999 percent reliability.
TVA, the first utility to build 500,000-volt transmission lines, operates and maintains one of the largest single-owner transmission systems in the United States. Its 16,000 miles of line are enough to span the nation more than six times.
- 16,086 circuit miles of transmission line
- 103,485 transmission line structures
- 509 power stations and switchyards
- 237,000 acres of transmission right-of-way
Transmission line vegetation maintenance
One way TVA provides reliable power to homes and businesses is by keeping transmission rights of way clear of vegetation such as trees and plants that can interfere with transmission lines and cause power interruptions.
Find out about right-of-way vegetation work near you and who to contact for information.
Investments in new transmission facilities help ensure reliable power
Continued investment in the transmission system helps TVA meet the daily challenge of moving power to where it is needed, regardless of weather, time of day or competing demand.
TVA provides transmission service on a nondiscriminatory, as-available basis to other qualified power providers requiring power transfers out of or through the TVA system. TVA also provides interconnection services to independent power producers consistent with sound reliability practices.