Tennessee Valley Authority hydro automation program

In today´s rapidly changing energy markets, every utility is continually looking for new ways to reduce costs in order to remain competitive. Since the fuel costs associated with hydropower generation are basically free, the only means to substantially reduce costs are to either reduce operating and maintenance expenses or to improve unit efficiencies. To this end, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has embarked on a program to completely automate the operation of all of its 29 conventional hydropower plants over an eight year period. They are presently in the second year of this effort. This paper provides an overview of that program