KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest public utility in the nation, celebrated its 90th anniversary on Wednesday and outlined plans to supercharge its solar energy capacity by 2035.

The federally-owned utility is investing billions to meet the rising energy demand across the six states they service. A TVA release said the region is growing at six times the national average.

To keep up, TVA continues to invest in the existing power system while also building new energy sources. TVA is currently building nearly 4,000 megawatts of new power generation, including combustion turbines, solar projects, combined-cycle natural gas, and energy storage.

Bids for approximately 6,000 megawatts of solar energy storage within the next 60 days, which could double the amount of solar energy in the TVA system.

The approximately 40 projects represented are expected to come online beginning in 2026, according to a TVA release. TVA’s goal is to add 10,000 megawatts of solar by 2035.

According to TVA’s Sustainability Report, 60% of the energy TVA produced in the first half of Fiscal Year 2023 was carbon-free coming from nuclear, hydroelectric and solar energy.

“There is no one answer to achieving our region’s and nation’s clean energy goals,” said TVA President and CEO Jeff Lyash. “We are committed to developing potential pathways to a clean energy future. We must rapidly expand our clean energy resources such as solar, new nuclear, and pumped storage – and we are moving aggressively, including potentially doubling our solar energy capacity.”

In March, TVA announced a partnership to design a first-of-a-kind small modular nuclear reactor that will be used at the TVA’s Clinch River Site in Roane County. A new System Operations Center that will manage TVA power grid operations is expected to open next year in Georgetown, Tennessee.