Graded Moderate and steady on how it connects a new large load. 7 states, 4 actions with sources, reviewed 10 October 2026.
TVA's board approved an item on loads above 100 MW on August 20, 2026, keeping a formal board vote for each such load.
The separate data center class effective October 1, 2026 raises bills about 10 percent and charges about $1.5 million per MW upfront on new loads above 5 MW.
The file records no curtailment or capacity-matching obligation; TVA's answer is the October 1, 2026 capacity commitment charge instead.
Co-location and own power are not addressed in TVA's August 20, 2026 actions, so nothing at the grid level restricts them.
TVA's August 20, 2026 resource plan needs 11 to 32 GW by 2040 with 4,120 MW under construction; loads above 5 MW pay a capacity charge from October 1, 2026.
Scored on rules in force, 1 to 5. 5 is the most regulated. Pending rules set the arrow.
TVA publishes no large load queue or request total. Best figure: existing data center demand 1,200 MW and 9,156 GWh (2025), up from 6,732 GWh in 2024. Tried board press releases, investor webcasts, June 2026 investor briefing, trade press; none give requested or contracted MW. TVA expects data center load to double by 2030; 2026 IRP (approved Aug 20, 2026) needs 11 to 32 GW of new capacity through 2040; weather-normalized peak CAGR 2.02% FY26-29, ~2%/yr demand growth next five years s205.q4cdn.com Pace: Not found. TVA FY25 release, Q1 and Q3 FY26 webcasts and Aug 2026 board release cite data processing sector sales growth and a 2030 doubling, no MW connected; press cites 18% of industrial load in 2025 (share, not MW).
TVA's board voted on 20 August 2026 to move data centers out of the manufacturing rate class into their own class, with an average bill increase of about 10 percent and an upfront capacity charge on new or expanding sites. The change took effect on 1 October 2026 and TVA tied it to signing the federal Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The board also acted on an item covering loads above 100 MW. No formal pause on new data center requests was found.
The rate increase phases in over three fiscal years. TVA's 2026 resource plan says the region needs 11 to 32 GW of added capacity by 2040, so how quickly TVA can serve new requests depends on its build program.
TVA is graded Moderate and steady on how it connects a new large load: Data centers moved to their own higher rate from October 2026 TVA's board voted on 20 August 2026 to move data centers out of the manufacturing rate class into their own class, with an average bill increase of about 10 percent and an upfront capacity charge on new or expanding sites. The change took effect on 1 October 2026 and TVA tied it to signing the federal Ratepayer Protection Pledge. The board also acted on an item covering loads above 100 MW. No formal pause on new data center requests was found.
Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Each state page gives that state's own laws, incentives and local actions, which sit under the grid's connection rules.
5 of 7: Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia.
The rate increase phases in over three fiscal years. TVA's 2026 resource plan says the region needs 11 to 32 GW of added capacity by 2040, so how quickly TVA can serve new requests depends on its build program.
4 items: each is a law, order, tariff, ruling, utility action or local decision that changes what a data center must do, pay or disclose, or where it may be built. Failed and pending measures are marked. Each links to its source.
Approved 20 August 2026 and effective 1 October 2026 for new and existing facilities. Data centers leave the manufacturing class for a separate class with four tiers by contract demand; TVA's finance chief expects an average bill impact of about 10 percent, phased in over three fiscal years. Residential rates are unchanged.
Source: 256today.comNew or expanding data center loads above 5 MW pay a capacity commitment charge of about $1.5 million per MW, spread over three to five years.
Source: 256today.comThe board's 20 August 2026 agenda included an approved item titled Load Greater than 100 megawatts; the release gives no terms. TVA also said it had signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge.
Source: s205.q4cdn.comThe board approved a resource plan that projects a need for 11 to 32 GW of additional capacity by 2040. The fiscal 2027 budget plans more than $13 billion through fiscal 2029, with 4,120 MW of new TVA-owned capacity under construction and 3,000 MW under evaluation.
Source: s205.q4cdn.comNeed the capacity sooner than the queue allows? Every unit in the register is held by Genloop, restored and re-warrantied, and can move on your timeline.
Fast-track power →