The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced Friday that it will be laying off the 61 uniformed employees in its Police & Physical Security organization in favor of contract employees, according to an article from The Knoxville News Sentinel. This cut is part of an organizational realignment to cut costs and make the federal agency more competitive, the article said.

In a prepared statement, TVA said that it will be ending uniformed patrols, stationing contract guards 24 hours a day at critical locations and increasing the use of security technology at non-nuclear power facilities. Security at nuclear facilities will not be affected, the statement said.

Security technology will be increased to improve protection at hydro plants, substations, distribution centers and other facilities, Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

“By focusing more of our non-nuclear security resources on our critical infrastructure, we will be in a better position to address the news and increasingly sophisticated threats facing the energy industry,” said David Jolley, vice president of TVA Police & Security in a statement.