Building New Reactors May Push TVA Debt Limit CHATTANOOGA, TN (APR - Alabama Public Radio ) - The Tennessee Valley Authority's $30 billion debt limit could be strained if the federal utility decides to build more nuclear plants.

TVA's debt now totals about $25.2 billion. The agency has been able to cut its debt by more than $2.5 billion since 1997. Still, this leaves less than $5 billion for new capital projects.

Two former TVA chairmen, S. David Freeman and Craven Crowell, worry the federal utility will be forced to ask Congress to raise the debt ceiling if it decides to build new reactors at the Bellefonte site in Alabama and undertakes new pollution controls.

But current Chairman Bill Sanson tells the Chattanooga Times Free Press that TVA is still studying its options, and the debt cap isn't an immediate concern.

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