Tennessee Valley Authority plans to spend $300 million to construct a large power control center in southern Meigs County. The new two-story concrete-walled facility will provide a more secure and effective system to protect

It is part of a $2 billion grid modernization program by TVA over the next five years that also will double the amount of fiber-optic lines installed across a 7-state region. Officials also plan the installation of a new energy management system to quickly and easily dispatch and control power from far more distributed sources.

TVA’s new system is designed to predict, control, and gain visibility to power needs and generation across the region to access and deliver the cheapest power in the most reliable manner.

The facility is expected to be fully operational by 2024.