CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – TVA is taking steps toward closing, and possibly replacing, the Cumberland Fossil Plant, located in Stewart County just over the Montgomery County line.
TVA is considering retiring the two coal-fired units at Cumberland and replacing them with natural gas or a combination of gas, solar and storage facilities, either on the same location or at an alternate site, according to a news release. Replacement facilities could require a natural gas pipeline and transmission upgrades, depending on the facilities.
“TVA’s recent evaluation confirms that the aging coal fleet is among the oldest in the nation and is experiencing deterioration of material condition and performance challenges,” according to a TVA Notice of Intent. “The performance challenges are projected to increase because of the coal fleet’s advancing age and the difficulty of adapting the fleet’s generation within the changing generation profile; and, in general, because the coal fleet is contributing to environmental, economic and reliability risks.”
The notice states that if the plant is retired, TVA would want to replace it with some other system or set of systems that could generate a comparable amount of power.
Three specific possibilities are mentioned in the notice:
- A Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine (CC) Gas Plant at the same site.
- Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine (CT) Gas Plants at alternate locations.
- Solar and Storage Facilities, primarily at alternate locations.
The Cumberland Fossil Plant, commonly called the “steam plant,” was built in 1972 on the Cumberland River in Cumberland City, about 25 miles southwest of Clarksville on Highway 149, and has employed as many as 400 people, according to The Leaf-Chronicle.
The first step in the proposal is to collect public input on what should be included in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). TVA is hosting a virtual public open house on Thursday, May 27, starting at 5:30 p.m. Visit www.tva.gov/nepa to register and get a link. Additional project information is available at www.tva.com/CUFmeeting.
Written comments on the scope of the EIS will be accepted through June 10 online at www.tva.com/nepa, or by email to nepa@tva.gov. Comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection, the release said.
