While the end of the year draws near, NHA’s robust calendar of events has yet to run out of pages, with one last “Hurrah!” in the form of our Southeast Regional Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, from December 9 – 10, 2026.

Whether you’re a veteran of our events or a new attendee, NHA’s Southeast Regional Meeting is an excellent opportunity for water power professionals to connect and learn alongside one another.

The meeting, hosted by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), provides insights for those looking to stay up to date on the issues and opportunities affecting water power across the Southeast while providing a forum to address regional challenges and top-of-mind topics.

Nashville’s skyline at night. (Photo Credit – Kaldari/Wikimedia)

TENNESEE’S WATER POWERED PAST

One could make the argument that there isn’t a bad time to visit Nashville, with the city boasting more than 250+ honky-tonks, speakeasies, and dance floors, earning Nashville the nickname of “Music City, U.S.A.”

Nashville’s popularity is growing, too, drawing a projected $12 billion in visitor spending for 2026 – a number that continues to swell, as the city attracted over 17 million visitors this year alone, with projections of 20 million by 2031!

Tennessee’s modern renaissance is tied to water power. In 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority was created by Congress as part of Franklin Delanor Roosevelt’s New Deal, with the purpose of providing electricity generation, flood control, and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, as the region had suffered disproportionately during the Great Depression.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the TVA Act. (Photo Credit – The White House)

Almost 100 years later, TVA is credited for its successful efforts in modernizing the Tennessee Valley and bringing employment to the region. To this day, TVA utilizes hydropower to support its mission of providing clean, reliable, and affordable electricity to the people and businesses of the Tennessee Valley. With a fleet of 29 hydroelectric facilities, and a pumped storage plan near Chattanooga, hydro continues to provide for the people of Tennessee.

MODERNIZING OLD HICKORY

On Wednesday, December 9, 2026, attendees at the Southeast Regional Meeting will have two opportunities (tickets are $50) to tour the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Old Hickory Project.

Operated by USACE on Tennessee’s Cumberland River, Old Hickory is a run-of-river, multi-purpose water resource facility that integrates hydro generation with navigation.

Located 25 miles upstream of Nashville, the project reached full beneficial use in 1957; currently, the facility generates enough power (103.7 MW) to serve an estimated 29,000 homes annually while supporting 3 million tons of commercial cargo per year.

Old Hickory Dam and Lake in Old Hickory, Tennessee. (Photo Credit – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)

Old Hickory, which bears the nickname of the United States’ 7^th president Andrew Jackson, is actively undergoing major rehabilitation ($81.6 million), which includes recent replacements of the main power transformers and exciters, installation of a new gantry crane, and ongoing turbine-generator overhauls – replacing the originally constructed five-blade units with seven-blade units.

Additionally, the tour participants will have the unique opportunity to observe a unit disassembled while seeing the inner working of a hydropower facility firsthand.

Old Hickory Dam powerplant in Hendersonville, Tennessee, on the Cumberland River. (Photo Credit – Lee Roberts / Wikimedia)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

If you’re interested in attending NHA’s Southeast Regional Meeting, check out the event site here for details on hotel accommodations, registration rates, a schedule of events, and the meeting agenda.

If you need additional assistance, please reach out Caroline Herman, Meetings and Events Manager at NHA, for more information ([email protected]).