Civil Engineering Design on TVA Steam Station

The Tennessee Valley Authority has 11,550 megawatts of capacity installed or under construction in nine modern steam electric stations, all constructed since 1949. The individual stations are designed for a total ultimate capacity ranging from 1,200 megawatts to more than 4,000 megawatts. All of these stations were designed by the Division of Design of the TVA, and this paper examines the civil engineering design practices developed in regard to site layout; location and orientation of powerhouses; condenser cooling water facilities; highway, railroad, and water transportation provisions; access of transmission facilities; concrete substructures of powerhouses; structural steel framing of powerhouses; and concrete chimneys. This paper is written to serve as a basis for comparison with similar design practices of other organizations and to stimulate critically constructive discussion of these design features.