Tennessee Valley Authority

American  

noun

1. TVA.

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Tennessee Valley Authority Cultural  

1. A corporation created by the federal government in the Great Depression to promote the economic development of the Tennessee River and adjoining areas. The TVA, known as a builder of dams, is responsible for flood control, the generation of electric power, soil conservation, and other areas of economic development. The TVA was part of the New Deal.

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Example Sentences

The first one went to the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally controlled utility, and Holtec, a privately held nuclear operator that’s building small reactors.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Only four of these are “private” in some sense; the vast majority are government utilities like our Tennessee Valley Authority.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

The Tennessee Valley Authority just inked significant new contracts to expand its arrays of solar panels and batteries, and New Jersey passed a bill to curb limits on expanding community solar.

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2024

On Jan. 17, as bitter cold swept across many of the seven states it serves, the Tennessee Valley Authority hit its highest peak electricity demand ever.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2024

He was a battle-hardened bureaucratic fighter whose career in federal service had been launched with his appointment to the New Deal’s Tennessee Valley Authority.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik