TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) continues to move forward with their transition away from coal-fired power plant generation. In fact, they currently operate only four coal-fired power plants (Kingston, Cumberland, Gallatin, and Shawnee) and by 2028, will be down to two. This is quite a difference from just 10 years ago, when over 50% of their total generation came from coal fired power plants.
TVA announced plans to retire their nine-unit 1.3-GW (gigawatts) Kingston Fossil Plant in 2027 and replace it with a 1.5-GW complex featuring a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant, aero-derivative turbines, 100 MW (megawatts) of battery storage, and up to 4 MW of solar generation.
In addition to Kingston, TVA has plans in motion to retire the two-unit 2.47 GW Cumberland Fossil Plant by 2028 – one unit by the end of 2026 and the second unit by the end of 2028. Before the first unit is retired, they will build a 1.45-GW CCGT to be in operation by 2026. Replacement generation for the second unit has been deferred to allow consideration for a broader range of replacement options.
No decisions have been made on retirement dates for Gallatin (975 MW coal – 4 units / 600 MW natural gas – 8 units) and Shawnee (1.75 GW coal – nine units). However, they are pursuing a first-of-its-kind pilot program at the Shawnee Fossil Plant in West Paducah, Kentucky, dubbed “Project Phoenix”. They plan to repurpose the 300-acre Shawnee site with up to 100 MW of solar generation to be online by the summer of 2028.
Over the past year, TVA has added about 1.5 GW of new gas-fired generation. These include three combustion turbine units, a combined 750 MW, at the Colbert Combustion Turbine site in North Alabama. In December 2023, they added another 750 MW with three new units at the Paradise Combine Cycle Plant near Drakesboro, Kentucky. More gas units are slated to come online over the next few years. Along with the Cumberland CCGT, TVA plans to add 500 MW of peaking aero-derivative combustion turbines at Johnsonville in late 2024 and 300 MW of solar at Lawrence County and Shawnee by late 2028.
