This is one of the hottest weeks the region has seen this summer and TVA is meeting the power demand that comes with those high temperatures.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is using its diverse assets to keep the lights on and that includes one of our more unique facilities—the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage Plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The plant works like a large storage battery. During periods of low demand, water is pumped from Nickajack Reservoir at the base of the mountain to the reservoir built at the top. When demand is high like it is this week, water is released via a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain to drive generators in the mountain’s underground power plant.
Nearly 60 percent of our total power generation to the grid is CLEAN ENERGY and that includes Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage, which is obviously 100 percent clean! While Raccoon Mountain is located in the Chattanooga area, it helps power the ENTIRE grid.
