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Plant Closures (Notes)
 6 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2021
Property, Plant and Equipment [Line Items]  
Plant Closures Disclosure Plant Closures
Background

TVA must continuously evaluate all generating assets to ensure an optimal energy portfolio that provides safe, clean, and reliable power while maintaining flexibility and fiscal responsibility to the people of the Tennessee Valley. During 2019, the TVA Board approved the Integrated Resource Plan, which recommended an action to evaluate the engineering end-of-life of aging fossil units. These assessments consider material condition, plant performance, system flexibility needs, environmental impacts, grid support, and other factors. Based on results of assessments presented to the TVA Board in 2019, the retirement of Paradise Fossil Plant ("Paradise") Unit 3 by December 2020 and Bull Run Fossil Plant ("Bull Run") by December 2023 was approved. Subsequent to the TVA Board approval, TVA determined that Paradise would not be restarted after January 2020 due to the plant's material condition. Paradise Fossil Plant Unit 3 was taken offline on February 1, 2020, effectively retiring the plant.

Financial Impact

TVA's policy is to adjust depreciation rates to reflect the most current assumptions, ensuring units will be fully depreciated by the applicable retirement dates. As a result of TVA's decision to accelerate the retirements of Paradise and Bull Run, TVA has recognized a cumulative $1.0 billion of accelerated depreciation. Of this amount, $34 million and $91 million was recognized during the three months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively, and $67 million and $316 million was recognized during the six months ended March 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.