Notice2026-06773
Spring Valley II Solar Final Environmental Impact Statement
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
April 8, 2026
Issuing agencies
Tennessee Valley Authority
Abstract
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has decided to adopt the preferred alternative identified in its final environmental impact statement (Final EIS; Document ID EISX-455-00-000-1729685609) for the Spring Valley II Solar Project. The Final EIS was made available to the public on December 19, 2025. A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final EIS was published in the Federal Register on January 2, 2026 (91 FR 1). TVA's preferred alternative, analyzed in the Final EIS as the Proposed Action Alternative, consists of TVA executing a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Spring Valley Solar, LLC (Spring Valley Solar), a wholly owned subsidiary of Urban Grid, to purchase power generated by an approximately 200-megawatt (MW) alternating current (AC) solar photovoltaic (PV) facility, which would occupy approximately 740 acres of a 2,426-acre Project Site, in Colbert County, Alabama, south of the city limits of Tuscumbia, Alabama, near the City of Muscle Shoals and Florence, Alabama, along US Highway 43. To interconnect to TVA's existing electrical grid Spring Valley Solar, LLC, would build a new onsite 161-kV substation and install network upgrades to the nearby transmission lines (TL). This alternative would achieve the purpose and need of the Project to meet the energy needs in response to customer demands and aligns with TVA's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 8, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17824-17826]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-06773]
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TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY
Spring Valley II Solar Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Tennessee Valley Authority.
ACTION: Record of decision.
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SUMMARY: The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has decided to adopt the
preferred alternative identified in its final environmental impact
statement (Final EIS; Document ID EISX-455-00-000-1729685609) for the
Spring Valley II Solar Project. The Final EIS was made available to the
public on December 19, 2025. A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the
Final EIS was published in the Federal Register on January 2, 2026 (91
FR 1). TVA's preferred alternative, analyzed in the Final EIS as the
Proposed Action Alternative, consists of TVA executing a power purchase
agreement (PPA) with Spring Valley Solar, LLC (Spring Valley Solar), a
wholly owned subsidiary of Urban Grid, to purchase power generated by
an approximately 200-megawatt (MW) alternating current (AC) solar
photovoltaic (PV) facility, which would occupy approximately 740 acres
of a 2,426-acre Project Site, in Colbert County, Alabama, south of the
city limits of Tuscumbia, Alabama, near the City of Muscle Shoals and
Florence, Alabama, along US Highway 43. To interconnect to TVA's
existing electrical grid Spring Valley Solar, LLC, would build a new
onsite 161-kV substation and install network upgrades to the nearby
transmission lines (TL). This alternative would achieve the purpose and
need of the Project to meet the energy needs in response to customer
demands and aligns with TVA's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Smith, NEPA Project Manager,
Tennessee Valley Authority, 400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B
Knoxville, TN 37902; telephone 865-632-3053; or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e98c9a84809d81d8dda99d9f88c78e869f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1d4c2dcd8c5d98085f1c5c7d09fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>.
To access and review the Final EIS, this Record of Decision (ROD), and
other project documents, go to TVA's website at <a href="https://www.tva.gov/nepa">https://www.tva.gov/nepa</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice is provided in accordance with
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and TVA's procedures (18
CFR 1318) for implementing NEPA. TVA is a corporate agency of the
United States that provides electricity for business customers and
local power distributors serving 10 million people in the Tennessee
Valley--an 80,000-square-mile region comprised of Tennessee and parts
of Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and
Kentucky. TVA receives no taxpayer funding and derives virtually all
revenues from the sale of electricity. In addition to operating and
investing revenues in its power system, TVA provides flood control,
navigation, and land management for the Tennessee Valley watershed and
provides economic development and job creation assistance within the
TVA Power Service Area.
In June 2019, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) completed an
Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and associated environmental impact
statement (EIS) to identify how TVA would meet the energy needs of the
TVA service territory over a 20-year planning period, while achieving
TVA's objectives to deliver reliable, low-cost, and cleaner energy with
fewer environmental impacts (TVA 2019a). The 2019 IRP recommends the
expansion of solar generating capacity of up to 14 gigawatts by 2038,
depending on the level of load growth and other factors. As part of
TVA's diversified energy strategy, this Project would help TVA meet the
needs for additional renewable energy in response to customer demands
and is consistent with the 2019 IRP.
TVA has prepared an EIS pursuant to NEPA to assess the
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action to execute a PPA with
Spring Valley Solar for TVA to purchase power generated by the proposed
approximately 200-MW AC solar PV facility.
Alternatives Considered
TVA considered a no action and one action alternative in the Draft
EIS and Final EIS.
No Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, TVA would
not execute the PPA with Spring Valley Solar to purchase the power
generated by the Spring Valley II Solar Project. Under the No Action
Alternative, Spring Valley Solar would not develop, operate, maintain,
and decommission a solar facility at this location, and TVA would
continue to rely on other sources of generation described in the 2019
IRP to ensure an adequate energy supply.
Proposed Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action Alternative,
TVA would execute the PPA with Spring Valley Solar, LLC and purchase
power generated by the proposed approximately 200-MW AC solar PV
facility known as Spring Valley II Solar Facility, which would occupy
approximately 740 acres of a 2,426-acre Project Site, in Colbert
County, Alabama, south of the city limits of Tuscumbia, Alabama, near
the City of Muscle Shoals and Florence, Alabama, along US Highway 43.
To interconnect to TVA's existing electrical grid, Spring Valley Solar,
LLC, would build a new onsite 161-kV substation and install network
upgrades to the nearby transmission lines (TL). Under the PPA, Spring
Valley Solar would construct, operate, and maintain Spring Valley II
Solar Facility for a 20-year period. At the end of the 20-year PPA,
Spring Valley Solar would assess whether to cease operations at the
solar facility or to replace equipment, if needed, and attempt to enter
into a new PPA with TVA or make some other arrangement to sell the
power.
Purpose and Need. The purpose and need of the Proposed Action is to
provide cost effective renewable energy
[[Page 17825]]
consistent with the 2019 IRP and in response to customer demand. TVA's
preferred alternative for fulfilling its purpose and need is the
Proposed Action Alternative, which would generate renewable energy for
TVA and its customers with only minor to moderate environmental impacts
due to the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) and
minimization and mitigation efforts. Implementation of the Project
would help TVA meet customer-driven energy demands on the TVA system.
Summary of Impacts
The No Action Alternative would result in the lowest level of
environmental impacts as the impacts associated with construction and
operation of the solar facility would not occur. However, the No Action
Alternative does not meet the purpose and need for the project.
Overall, environmental impacts associated with the Proposed Action
Alternative would be minor to moderate with the implementation of
required permits, BMPs, and minimization and mitigation efforts. The
Proposed Action could have minor impacts to land use, geology, soils,
wildlife, aquatics, vegetation, floodplains, utilities, transportation,
recreation, air quality, noise, or public health and safety; no direct
adverse impacts to groundwater; and minor beneficial impacts to surface
water, wetlands, and socioeconomics. The project could have moderate
impacts on prime farmland and minor to moderate impacts to visual
resources. With the implementation of avoidance measures and use of
BMPs, the Proposed Action is not likely to adversely affect federally
or state-listed species, and potential impacts on federally-listed and
state-listed species and their habitats would be minor. With the
implementation of avoidance and mitigation measures, and through
consultation with the Alabama Historic Commission, Tribes, and
consulting parties, the Proposed Project would have no adverse effect
on historic properties.
The Project Site would be revegetated by planting a mixture of
native and/or non-invasive vegetation to enhance habitat, reduce
erosion, and limit the spread of invasive species. This would likely
result in an increase in plant diversity over that of the cultivated
cropland currently present on the site. Vegetation on developed
portions of the Project Site would be maintained to control growth
through occasional mowing. Following decommissioning of the solar
facility, the Project Site could be returned to agricultural use with
little reduction in soil productivity or impacts to prime farmland.
The Proposed Action may affect but is not likely to adversely
affect the gray bat, northern long eared bat, or Indiana bat, and would
not jeopardize the continued existence of the tricolored bat. Mist net
surveys conducted at the Project Site and TL Upgrade Area were negative
for these species, indicating they are not likely present in the area.
The Project is not likely to directly affect any federally listed
species and would have minimal to negligible impacts to state-listed
species of conservation concern. In accordance with Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act (ESA), TVA evaluated potential effects and
concluded that potential impacts to listed species and critical
habitats have been appropriately addressed. Based on the information
and analyses presented in the FEIS, no further measures are necessary
to fulfill obligations under ESA.
The Project would not have an adverse effect to the Bell Mont
Mansion due to mitigation measures agreed upon by TVA and the Alabama
Historical Commission through consultation. Minimization measures
include updating the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)
nomination form for the Belle Mont, the maintenance of the existing
vegetative screening between the Belle Mont and the solar facility on
the facility property, planting and maintenance of a new, permanent,
non-invasive vegetative screen between the solar facility and the
property along Cook Lane and the Belle Mont's driveway, and the
installation of green mesh screening on the fences located behind the
newly planted vegetative buffer.
Project components would introduce an effect to archaeological site
1CT270, but the effect will not be adverse. This effect would be from
the placement of a single electrical transmission pole within the site
boundary of 1CT270 as well as vegetative clearing for the associated
transmission line. Following consultation with AHC, additional
archaeological investigation occurred at the transmission pole location
that revealed a lack of archaeological integrity at that location, and
construction documents will contain stipulations to prevent ground
disturbance during vegetative clearing within the unassessed portions
of the site. Project components have been designed to avoid and
minimize effects on the site in consultation with AHC and federally
recognized tribal governments. The Project will also introduce an
effect to site 1CT710 through the placement of solar arrays in the site
boundary, but that effect will not be adverse. Only a small portion of
the site contains data potential and that portion will be fenced off
and avoided by Project components. Project components would also avoid
effects to NRHP unassessed archaeological sites 1CT703, 1CT707, 1CT723,
1CT232, 1CT615, and NRHP eligible site 1CT431 by avoiding these sites
with 100 to 600-foot buffers (sites protected by fencing have reduced
avoidance buffers), and an avoidance agreement has been signed. All
other archaeological sites have been determined not eligible for
listing in the NRHP. TVA received concurrence from the AHC (November
26, 2025) and the Tribes (November 11, 2026) that the Project would
have no adverse effect to historic properties.
TVA consulted with the AHC, the Belle Mont Mansion Site Director,
and federally recognized Indian tribes under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act regarding these findings and
avoidance and minimization measures. TVA did not receive any objections
of the Project finding of no adverse effect to historic properties from
the consulting parties.
Public Involvement
On September 19, 2023, TVA published a Notice of Intent (NOI) in
the Federal Register announcing plans to prepare an EIS to assess the
potential environmental effects associated with constructing,
operating, maintaining, and decommissioning the Spring Valley II Solar
Facility in Colbert County, AL. The NOI initiated a 30-day public
scoping period that concluded on October 19, 2023. The NOI solicited
public input on the scope of the EIS and the environmental issues that
should be considered in the EIS. During the public scoping period, TVA
received comments from the Colbert County Historic Landmarks
Foundation, the National Park Service (NPS), the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (USEPA), 3 elected officials, and 37 private
individuals. Comments were related to alternatives, land use, prime
farmland, water resources, biological resources, greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions, and cultural resources (including the Belle Mont historic
site).
A Notice of Availability was released for the Draft EIS on June 27,
2025, in the Federal Register (90 FR 27538), initiating a 45-day public
comment period, which ended on August 11, 2025. The availability of the
Draft EIS was announced in regional and local newspapers serving the
project area and on TVA's social media accounts. A news release was
issued to the media and posted on TVA's website. The Draft
[[Page 17826]]
EIS was posted on TVA's website, and hard copies were made available by
request. During the public comment period, TVA held a public meeting on
July 15, 2025, to describe the Project and address questions by the
public at the Colbert Heights High School in Tuscumbia, AL. TVA
accepted comments submitted through mail, email, a comment form on
TVA's public website, and during the public meeting. TVA received 55
comments from landowners, non-profit groups (including the Colbert
County Historical Landmarks Foundation Board and Amphibian Refuge), and
government entities. TVA carefully reviewed the comments received and,
where appropriate, revised text in the Final EIS. The NOA for the Final
EIS was published in the Federal Register on January 2, 2026 (91 FR 1).
Decision
TVA certifies, in accordance with 18 CFR 1318, that the agency has
considered the alternatives, information, analyses, material in the
record determined to be relevant, and submitted by State, Tribal, and
local governments and public commenters for consideration in developing
the Final EIS. TVA has decided to implement the preferred alternative
of the Final EIS, which would result in the construction, operation,
maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of the proposed solar PV
facility, as well as the construction, operation, and maintenance of a
substation and associated facilities to interconnect the solar PV
facility to TVA's existing electrical transmission network. This
alternative would achieve the purpose and need of the Project.
Mitigation Measures
Spring Valley Solar and TVA would employ standard practices and
routine measures and other project-specific measures to avoid,
minimize, and mitigate adverse impacts from implementation of the
Proposed Action Alternative to include but not limited to those
measures in the FEIS Section 2.4. Spring Valley Solar and TVA would
also implement minimization and mitigation measures based on BMPs,
permit requirements, and adherence to erosion and sediment control
plans. Non-routine mitigation measures associated with visual, and
cultural resources include:
<bullet> Visual Resources
[cir] Maintain a minimum 50-foot setback along all property lines
and boundaries adjacent to the Project;
[cir] Maintain a vegetated buffer (native, non-invasive regionally
adapted species), 30 feet in width, around the perimeter of the solar
facility (on the outside of the security fence) to provide visual
screening from adjacent roadways and surrounding properties.
<bullet> Cultural
[cir] Update the NRHP nomination for the Belle Mont Mansion;
[cir] Maintain existing vegetative screening around the Belle Mont
Mansion;
[cir] Install new non-invasive vegetative visual screening along
Cook Ln between the solar facility and the Belle Mont Mansion and along
the property boundary east of the Belle Mont's driveway;
[cir] Install a green mesh visual screen on the fence behind the
newly installed vegetative screen at the Belle Mont Mansion;
[cir] Avoid all identified historic/potential historic sites in
accordance with the signed avoidance agreement document.
Dated: March 26, 2026.
Monika Beckner,
Vice President, Power Supply and Fuels, Tennessee Valley Authority.
[FR Doc. 2026-06773 Filed 4-7-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8120-08-P
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