TVA boosts clean-air contracts

TVA boosts clean-air contracts

By DAVE FLESSNER
BUSINESS EDITOR

Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority will take another major step this week toward getting some of the smoke out of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The TVA board is scheduled Thursday to award contracts for another $290 million to buy and install equipment at seven of its coal-fired plants to reduce a key element causing low-level ozone smog. TVA plans to increase its contract with Alstom Power Inc. another $270 million and boost its contract with Cormetech Inc. by another $50 million to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions at most of its coal plants.

In all, TVA expects to end up spending nearly $1 billion to install selective catalytic reduction systems at 25 coal-fired units at seven of its fossil plants across the Tennessee Valley.

"We began this program in 1998 as a voluntary strategy to help improve our regional air quality," TVA spokesman Gil Francis said. "We now need to make these improvements to meet upcoming regulations."

TVA has cut its nitrogen oxide emissions by 40 percent from the peak and it expects to ultimately reduce overall nitrogen oxide emissions by at least 75 percent. Nitrogen oxides combine with other pollutants to form acid rain and other ozone problems in the air. Environmentalists applaud TVA's reductions in nitrogen oxides, although the utility remains under fire for its sulfur dioxide and other pollutants.

"We've been very pleased with TVA's response to dealing with its nitrogen oxide pollution, which is a real threat to the Smokies and to public health," said Dr. Stephen Smith, executive director of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. "But we remain very concerned about TVA's efforts in addressing particulate matter and sulfur pollutants."

"We've been very pleased with TVA's response to dealing with its nitrogen oxide pollution."
— Dr. Stephen Smith

Because TVA overcomplied with earlier regulations on sulfur dioxides, the utility is using banked credits to help meet today's more stringent standards. The Environmental Protection Agency has also sued TVA to require the older coal plants to meet stricter new source requirements for sulfur emissions. But TVA objects to the change in EPA policy.

TVA already has spent $2.6 billion on pollution controls at its 59 coal-fired units at 11 plants across the Valley. The contracts being awarded by TVA will be filled by companies with major operations in Chattanooga and Cleveland, Tenn.

Alstom Power employs more than 600 people in Chattanooga. Cormetech built a plant last year in Cleveland, Tenn. to make the SCR systems used to limit nitrogen oxides from the burning of coal.

E-mail Dave Flessner at dflessner@timesfreepress.com