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Kingston Fossil Plant Ash Spill | 12 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2014
Environmental Remediation Obligations [Abstract] |
Kingston Fossil Plant Ash Spill | Kingston Fossil Plant Ash Spill The Event In December 2008, one of the dredge cells at Kingston failed, and approximately five million cubic yards of water and coal fly ash flowed out of the cell. TVA is continuing cleanup and recovery efforts in conjunction with federal and state agencies. TVA completed the removal of time-critical ash from the river during the third quarter of 2010, and removal of the remaining ash is considered to be non-time-critical. In November 2012, the EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation ("TDEC") approved a plan to allow the Emory River's natural processes to remediate the remaining ash in the river, and to conduct a long-term monitoring program. TVA estimates that the physical cleanup work will be completed in the spring of 2015. A final assessment, issuance of a completion report, and approval by the State of Tennessee and the EPA are expected to occur by the third quarter of 2015. Claims and Litigation See Note 21 — Legal Proceedings — Legal Proceedings Related to the Kingston Ash Spill and — Civil Penalty and Natural Resource Damages for the Kingston Ash Spill. Financial Impact TVA recorded an estimate of $1.1 billion for the cost of cleanup related to this event. In August 2009, TVA began using regulatory accounting treatment to defer all actual costs already incurred and expected future costs related to the ash spill. The cost is being charged to expense as it is collected in rates over 15 years, beginning October 1, 2009. Amounts spent since the event through September 30, 2014, totaled $1.1 billion. The remaining estimated liability at September 30, 2014, was $21 million and is included in Current liabilities. TVA has not included the following categories of costs in the above estimate since it has been determined that these costs are currently either not probable or not reasonably estimable: penalties (other than the penalties set out in a June 2010 TDEC order), regulatory directives, natural resources damages (other than payments required under a memorandum of agreement with TDEC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service establishing a process and a method for resolving the natural resource damages claim), future lawsuits, future claims, long-term environmental impact costs, final long-term disposition of the ash processing area, and costs associated with new laws and regulations. There are certain other costs that will be incurred that have not been included in the estimate as they are appropriately accounted for in other areas of the consolidated financial statements. Associated capital asset purchases are recorded in property, plant, and equipment. Ash handling and disposition costs from current plant operations are recorded in operating expenses. A portion of the dredge cell closure costs are also excluded from the estimate, as they are included in the non-nuclear ARO liability. Insurance TVA had property and excess liability insurance programs in place at the time of the Kingston ash spill. TVA pursued claims under both the property and excess liability programs and has settled all of its property insurance claims and some of its excess liability insurance claims. In April 2012, TVA initiated arbitration proceedings against the remaining excess liability insurance companies in accordance with the policies’ dispute resolution provisions. TVA is seeking recovery of certain costs incurred in the cleanup project, including the costs of removing ash from property or waters owned by the State of Tennessee, and related expenses. TVA has received insurance proceeds of $267 million, of which $175 million were received during the year ended September 30, 2014. The insurance proceeds are being recorded as reductions to the regulatory asset and will reduce costs collected in future rates.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for environmental loss contingencies, such as presence of hazardous waste, relevant information from reports issued by regulators, and estimated costs to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements. This element may be used for all of an entity's disclosures about environmental loss contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -SubTopic 20 -Section S99 -Paragraph 1 -Subparagraph (SAB TOPIC 5.Y.Q2) -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=27011672&loc=d3e149879-122751 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 17 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13328-110859 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 4 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13185-110859 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 12 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13296-110859 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 410 -SubTopic 30 -Section 50 -Paragraph 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6393242&loc=d3e13237-110859 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher SEC -Name Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) -Number Topic 5 -Section Y + Details
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