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

These awards will be split equally between privately held Florida company Holtec International and a project overseen by the Tennessee Valley Authority, or TVA—a publicly owned utility that serves several states.

From Barron's • Dec. 3, 2025

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 has said it intends to build 10,000 megawatts of solar by 2035.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

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

I’d been taught about the Tennessee Valley Authority in high-school history.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam