TVA is making plans to make "a significant investment" in the construction of a new pumped storage facility.
Officials said TVA would continue to operate the existing Raccoon Mountain PSH with no changes to current operations. At Raccoon Mountain, water is pumped up from the adjacent Tennessee River to a lake at the top, then rushed back down to provide power at needed intervals.T
One option is to expand Raccoon Mountain PSF with an additional 800 MW.
But the preferred option is a new PSH located at Rorex Creek, near Pisgah, Ala., with an energy generation capacity ranging from 1,200-megawatt (MW) up to 1,600 MW.
Another option is a new PSH located at Widows Creek, near Stevenson and Fabius, Ala., with an energy generation capacity ranging from 1,200-megawatt (MW) up to 1,600 MW.
A fourth option is to take no action.
Members of the public are able to provide input on its draft environmental impact statement