A coalition of clean energy organizations, conservation nonprofits and social justice groups last week called on the Tennessee Valley Authority to reconsider its plan to replace its largest coal plant with a new gas-fired facility.
The Clean Up TVA Coalition, which includes the Sierra Club, NAACP Memphis Branch, Appalachian Voices, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Center for Biological Diversity, said TVA should rethink a proposed 1,450-MW natural gas expansion at its Cumberland Fossil Plant, given the fuel’s volatile pricing.
The group said TVA’s continuing investment in gas-fired generation “runs contrary to the Biden Administration’s clean energy mandate, climate science and the agency’s own stated commitment to improve Valley residents’ quality of life through job creation, reduced emissions and lower energy prices.”
The federal agency has drafted an environmental impact statement (EIS) on its plans to retire Cumberland’s two 1,235-MW units and replace them with the large gas plant and associated 32-mile gas pipeline. TVA is also considering adding either smaller gas-fired plants at its Johnsonville and Gleason generating plant sites or 1,700 MW of solar generation paired with battery storage, though it has said those options aren’t as appealing.
TVA said its financial and system analyses “indicate a [combined-cycle] gas plant is the best overall solution to provide low-cost, reliable and cleaner energy to the TVA power system.” The agency said a gas plant at the Cumberland site will allow it to retire the two coal units quicker and could provide the foundation to “reliably integrate 10 GW of solar onto the system by 2035.”
Responding to the draft EIS, Clean Up TVA asked the agency to conduct an “honest assessment” of cleaner energy alternatives to its current generation plans. It requested TVA explore other generation options and expedite the retirement of the two Cumberland coal units by 2030.
The group also said the federal utility has not presented a “clear trajectory for how it intends to achieve” 10 GW of future solar and a quicker winddown of coal operations at Cumberland. TVA does not plan to complete the units’ retirement until 2033, according to the EIS.
Clean Up TVA pointed out that the natural gas market is volatile and climbing prices are forcing other electricity providers to raise rates. The Sierra Club said its research shows that with 4 GW, TVA has the second-highest proposed gas buildout of all major utilities in the country by 2030.
“Despite this reality, TVA is choosing to make huge new, long-term investments in an uncertain gas market — the opposite of its claimed goal of working to keep energy costs low for customers,” the coalition wrote.
“TVA is being horrifically irresponsible” said Sudeep Ghantasala with the Nashville chapter of the climate action group Sunrise Movement. “The permitting process for the gas pipeline started months ago. TVA claims this was to speed up the process should they pick the gas CC plant. Why haven’t they started the same process for the solar alternative, and better yet, looked at distributed solar, energy efficiency and demand response which could come on board sooner and even reduce demand for large-scale projects? Climate change is threatening so many lives and TVA needs to act.”
TVA Public Relations Specialist Scott Brooks said “no decisions have been made at this point” regarding the options laid out in EIS. TVA did not address how it might factor rising natural gas prices into its plans.
“We appreciate all of the comments received during the public comment period and will consider them as part of our final EIS document,” Brooks said in an emailed statement to RTO Insider.
