HYDROVISION International

Reclamation, TVA network with suppliers at HYDROVISION International

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Reclamation, TVA network with suppliers at HYDROVISION International
(TVA's Frank Tritico speaks with suppliers at HYDROVISION International.)

Suppliers and small businesses at HYDROVISION International packed a conference room at the Charlotte Convention Center to learn how to do business with key power producers.

The workshop How to Bid for Hydropower Contracts with Power Producers Tuesday morning featured contracting experts from the U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

With existing assets continuing to age, rehabilitation of existing hydroelectric facilities is a major business opportunity in the industry. Both TVA and Reclamation are planning significant hydro rehabilitation programs while continuing to operate and maintain their assets.

Speakers with TVA and Reclamation spoke on some of these rehab projects and the business opportunities around them.

Officers with Reclamation told workshop attendees about tools and resources to optimize doing business with the Bureau. This included SAM.gov, which contractors need to be registered with in order to bid on federal projects; and the DOI’s Small Business Intelligence Tool, which is designed to help small businesses identify business opportunities.

Reclamation has ongoing programs for both dam maintenance and plant rehabilitation. The U.S. President’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 includes $1.4 billion for Reclamation to make “critical, targeted investments” that include addressing aging infrastructure needs, including dam safety and operation, maintenance and rehabilitation activities.

Reclamation’s fleet includes 77 hydropower facilities that account for about 15% of hydro capacity and generation in the U.S.

TVA explained what to look for in its RFP process.

Under its Hydro Life Extension (HLE) program, TVA has completed 75 projects, ranging from $100,000 to $40 million. Since the fall of 2021, TVA has focused on the HLE program and targets about a 10% per year re-investment rate in its hydropower assets.

TVA has 109 conventional hydro units and four large pump-turbines with total installed capacity of 5,600 MW. The fleet produces $1 billion to $1.1 billion a year in revenue.

After the Bureau of Reclamation and TVA presentations, speakers spent time informally meeting with workshop attendees.