The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has signed an agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority; the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association, which represents regional utilities; and the U.S. Southeastern Power Administration, a federal hydropower marketing agency, to provide $1.2 billion over 20 years for the repair of hydropower facilities. The pact will cover upgrades of 28 hydropower generating units at nine dams on the Cumberland River system across Kentucky and Tennessee. The facilities are 58 years old, on average, while the average design service life of the equipment is 35 years. TVA currently purchases the Corps’ power, which is produced by dams on the river, says a TVA spokesman. The agreement allows the Corps to execute the rehabilitation work at the hydroelectric generation plants “at a faster rate than might otherwise be possible if relying solely on appropriations,” says Jamie James, a Corps hydro program manager in the agency’s Nashville district.