XML 32 R76.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.1.9
Contingencies and Legal Proceedings Legal Proceedings (Details) (USD $)
 3 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 1 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Procedures
Apr. 30, 2011
Groups
Agreements
Sep. 30, 2010
Mar. 31, 2010
People
Dec. 31, 2010
Years
Jun. 30, 2012
Jul. 31, 2013
Legal_actions
May 31, 2013
Aug. 31, 2011
Jun. 30, 2008
Legal_actions
Sep. 30, 2012
Nov. 30, 2009
People
Legal_actions
Dec. 31, 2011
Legal_actions
Jun. 30, 2011
Units
Megawatts
Jun. 30, 2010
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of procedures for determining estimates for the costs of nuclear decommissioning 2tve_NumberOfProceduresForDeterminingEstimatesForCostsOfNuclearDecommissioning                            
Possible additional future costs for compliance with Clean Air Act requirements $ 1,100,000,000tve_PossibleAdditionalFutureCostsForComplianceWithCleanAirActRequirements                            
Amount of settlement for potential liability related to soil cleanup 300,000tve_AmountOfSettlementForPotentialLiabilityRelatedToSoilCleanup                            
Amount of settlement for potential liability related to EPA study of site 8,000tve_AmountofsettlementforpotentialliabilityrelatedtoEPAstudyofsite                            
TDEC civil penalties related to Gallatin 17,000tve_TDECcivilpenaltiesrelatedtoGallatin                            
Units Affected by Paradise Case 2tve_UnitsAffectedbyParadiseCase                            
Number of units at John Sevier Fossil 4tve_NumberofunitsatJohnSevierFossil                            
Remaining natural resource damages are less than 1,000,000tve_RemainingNaturalResourceDamagesAreLessThan                            
General                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Legal loss contingency accrual 162,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_GeneralMember		                            
Loss Contingency, Range of Possible Loss, Minimum 162,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyRangeOfPossibleLossMinimum
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_GeneralMember		                            
Loss Contingency, Range of Possible Loss, Maximum 164,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyRangeOfPossibleLossMaximum
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_GeneralMember		                            
Environmental Agreements                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of similar environmental agreements entered into   2tve_NumberOfSimilarEnvironmentalAgreementsEnteredInto
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		                          
Number of environmental agreements entered into with the EPA   1tve_NumberOfEnvironmentalAgreementsEnteredIntoWithEpa
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		                          
Number of environmental agreements entered into with Alabama, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee   1tve_NumberOfEnvironmentalAgreementsEnteredIntoWithAlabamaKentuckyNorthCarolinaAndTennessee
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		                          
Number of environmental agreements entered into with environmental advocacy groups   3tve_Numberenvironmentaladvocacygroupswithwhichthereisanenvironmentalagreement.
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		                          
Number of units to be idled                           18tve_NumberOfUnitsToBeIdled
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Megawatts option 1                           2,200tve_Megawatts
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Megawatts option 2                           3,500tve_MegawattsOption2
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Amount to be invested in certain TVA environmental projects                           290,000,000tve_AmountToBeInvestedInCertainEnvironmentalProjects
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Amount to be provided to fund environmental projects                           60,000,000tve_AmountToBeProvidedToFundEnvironmentalProjects
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Amount to pay civil penalties                           10,000,000tve_AmountToPayCivilPenalties
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_EnvironmentalAgreementsMember		  
Kingston Ash Spill                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of lawsuits filed 78tve_NumberOfLawsuitsFiled
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Number of lawsuits dismissed 15tve_NumberOfLawsuitsDismissed
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Loss Contingency, Claims Dismissed, Number 63us-gaap_LossContingencyClaimsDismissedNumber
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Number of active lawsuits 9us-gaap_LossContingencyPendingClaimsNumber
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Payments for Legal Settlements 28,000,000us-gaap_PaymentsForLegalSettlements
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Loss Contingency, Claims Settled, Number 6us-gaap_LossContingencyClaimsSettledNumber
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Civil penalty order issued June 1, 2010                             12,000,000tve_CivilPenaltyOrderIssuedJune12010
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember
Amount of civil penalty order satisfied 10,000,000tve_AmountOfCivilPenaltyOrderSatisfied
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Credit against civil penalty order 2,000,000tve_CreditAgainstCivilPenaltyOrder
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Down payment on natural resource damages 750,000tve_DownPaymentOnNaturalResourceDamages
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_LegalProceedingsRelatedToKingstonAshSpillMember		                            
Case Involving Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement System                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of Board Members Appointed       1tve_NumberofBoardMembersAppointed
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                      
Number of participants that filed suit       8tve_NumberOfParticipantsThatFiledSuit
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                      
Number of TVARS Board members       6tve_NumberOfBoardMembers
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                      
Retirement age of eligibility for cost of living adjustment before January 1, 2010         55tve_RetirementageofeligibilityforcostoflivingadjustmentbeforeJanuary12010
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                    
Retirement age of eligibility for cost of living adjustment after January 1, 2010         60tve_RetirementAgeOfEligibilityForCostOfLivingAdjustmentAfterJanuary12010
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                    
Remaining defendant       1tve_RemainingDefendant
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_CaseInvolvingTennesseeValleyAuthorityRetirementSystemMember		                      
Number of days to file an ammended complaint     14 days                        
Case Involving the NRC Waste Confidence Decision on Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of years that spent fuel can be stored after a plant's license is terminated           60 years                  
Administrative Proceedings Regarding Sequoyah U1 and U2 [Member]                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of contentions submitted by BREDL BEST and MATRR               8tve_NumberofcontentionssubmittedbyBREDLBESTandMATRR
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		              
Opposed contentions               8tve_Opposedcontentions
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		              
Number of petitioners with standing             1tve_Numberofpetitionerswithstanding
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		                
Number of petitioners             3tve_Numberofpetitioners
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		                
Number of contentions dismissed             7tve_NumberOfContentionsDismissed
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		                
Number of contentions left             1tve_NumberOfContentionsLeft
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingSequoyahU1andU2Member		                
Administrative Proceedings Regarding Bellefonte Units 3 and 4                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of contentions left                   2tve_NumberOfContentionsLeft
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		          
Number of admitted contentions submitted by BREDL and SACE                   4tve_NumberOfAdmittedContentionsSubmittedByBredlAndSace
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		          
Number of contentions submitted by BREDL and SACE                   20tve_NumberOfContentionsSubmittedByBredlAndSace
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		          
Number of contentions no longer admitted                   2tve_NumberOfContentionsNoLongerAdmitted
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		          
Number of BREDL contentions                     1tve_NumberofBREDLcontentions
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		        
Number of SACE contentions                 1tve_NumberOfSaceContentions
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingBellefonteUnits3And4Member		            
Administrative Proceedings Regarding Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of contentions dismissed                       1tve_NumberOfContentionsDismissed
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		      
Number of contentions admitted for hearing                       2tve_NumberOfContentionsAdmittedForHearing
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		      
Number of SACE contentions                     1tve_NumberOfSaceContentions
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		 7tve_NumberOfSaceContentions
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		      
Number of other petitioners                       4tve_NumberOfOtherPetitioners
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		      
Number of contentions remaining                       1tve_NumberOfContentionsRemaining
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_AdministrativeProceedingsRegardingWattsBarNuclearPlantUnit2Member		      
Petitions Resulting from Japanese Nuclear Events                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Number of requests accepted by the NRC                         5tve_NumberOfRequestsAcceptedByNrc
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_PetitionsResultingFromJapaneseNuclearEventsMember		    
Other Noncurrent Liabilities [Member] | General                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Legal loss contingency accrual 92,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis
= us-gaap_OtherNoncurrentLiabilitiesMember
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_GeneralMember		                            
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member] | General                              
Legal Proceedings                              
Legal loss contingency accrual $ 70,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ us-gaap_BalanceSheetLocationAxis
= us-gaap_AccountsPayableAndAccruedLiabilitiesMember
/ us-gaap_LitigationCaseAxis
= tve_GeneralMember