Press Mention Knoxville News Sentinel April 1, 2024
SACE Quoted
TVA's Kingston plant will generate new energy by 2027, leaving coal and smokestacks behind
In this mention
TVA announced plans to retire the Kingston coal plant by 2027 and replace it with a 1,500-megawatt natural gas plant paired with battery storage and solar generation. Environmental groups, including the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, criticized the decision, arguing that a distributed solar and storage alternative would be more cost-effective and resilient. The EPA subsequently called TVA's environmental impact statement inadequate, citing incomplete analysis of alternatives and failure to account for federal clean energy incentives.
The more any utility relies on a particular fuel, it becomes less diverse. By increasing its reliance on fossil gas in this case, it is going to leave the customers more exposed to that price volatility. Solar in particular is a zero fuel resource. Yes, there are capital costs for the initial construction, but then there's very little ongoing maintenance costs and there's zero fuel costs.
Bryan Jacob
Original clipping
PDF didn't open? Open it in a new tab →