MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Light, Gas, and Water has announced that the vote on whether to continue its partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority has been delayed.

MLGW board members were set to vote on November 16 on whether to give the TVA a long-term power supply contract.

Thursday morning, MLGW announced that the vote has been delayed by an appeal by the Franklin Haney Company

Officials have spent months debating on whether MLGW should stay with the TVA. Former MLGW CEO J.T. Young urged board members to stay with the TVA, claiming that splitting could cost billions.

“It would be a mammoth task to disconnect that and reconnect with someone else, regardless of who is serving you. It doesn’t matter,” MLGW President JT Young said. “So we wanted to see this information from the bidders to get a feel for the reality if there is a real possibility that could happen.”

The Tennessee Chapter of the Sierra Club has stated it would like to see the City of Memphis go with an alternative source of energy.

“It is one of the most important decisions that’s ever going to be made in Memphis,” said Scott Banbury, conservation programs coordinator. “People who would build and supply solar energy and battery storage renewable clean energy to the City instead of just buying natural gas power, coal power, nuclear power.”

MLGW says the vote will be rescheduled after the appeals process is finished.