Rep.Fleischmann says TVA customers shouldn't see surprise rate hikes tied to data centers

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]The Tennessee Valley Authority may make changes to electric rates according to this letter sent out to local power companies also called LPCs. Data centers could fall into their own category from the sheer amount of electricity they consume.

[00:00:15]>> That's very important cuz one of the concerns I heard and I'm listening to my constituents is the fear of their local power bill going up.

[00:00:23]>> US Congressman Chuck Fleischmann is the chair for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on energy and water development.

[00:00:31]>> We want to make sure that there is abundant, affordable, reliable power for the TVA customer base and that will be there.

[00:00:39]>> In the city of Dalton, data center operator CoreScientific has three facilities dating back to 2018 with the latest one under construction. For the two data centers currently operating, their website says they consume a combined 192 megawatts of power. Data centers are currently about 18% of TVA's load and they tell us those numbers are expected to double by 2030. This letter says TVA is proposing the options to protect their customers from undue costs created by data centers.

[00:01:13]>> There will be no rate increases without going to the people and there will be no action taken without TVA going to the citizenry and to the stakeholders whether that's EPB or our local constituents and having a public forum for this.