Gas

TVA proposing new 500 MW natural gas plant at brownfield site of former Mississippi plant

The study area for the proposed action is 145 acres and includes the entire proposed combustion turbine property as well as the adjacent substation property, which remains in operation.
TVA proposing new 500 MW natural gas plant at brownfield site of former Mississippi plant
(Source: TVA.)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has proposed building a simple cycle combustion turbine (CT) plant at the TVA-owned land known as the New Caledonia (NCG) Site, a brownfield location in Mississippi where a privately-run gas-fired plant operated until 2007.

The NCG Site is an approximately 63-acre existing parcel of federally owned property managed by TVA in Lowndes, Mississippi, located 10 miles northeast of Columbus. The site is a former CT facility, originally constructed in 1998 and operated for several years by a private company. The company dismantled the site in 2007, removing the existing six frame CTs.

The study area for the proposed action is 145 acres and includes the entire proposed combustion turbine property as well as the adjacent substation property, which remains in operation. TVA is considering constructing and operating an approximately 500-MW combustion turbine facility at the same brownfield location as the previous generating facility, which would allow TVA to utilize existing natural gas and transmission infrastructure.

TVA has issued a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed construction and operation of the plant at the NCG site. TVA is seeking comments from the public on what should be included in the environmental review for the project.

TVA anticipates that the scope of the EA or EIS will evaluate a “no action” alternative and an “action” alternative. The “no action” alternative provides a baseline for comparing against the “action” alternative. Under the “no action” alternative, TVA would not develop the TVA-owned property in Lowndes County for energy generation. The “action” alternative would evaluate the development of the New Caledonia brownfield site for construction and operation of a CT plant.

Earlier this year, the TVA proposed three generation projects, including a pumped storage hydro plant.

First, TVA said it is studying various technologies to store energy, including pumped storage hydroelectricity. TVA will need long-duration energy storage to meet energy demand as more intermittent renewable energy sources are added to the grid.

The other two projects for which TVA is seeking input are a solar and battery storage project to facilitate its goal of 10,000 MW of solar by 2035, and a 900 MW natural gas combustion turbine and 400 MW battery energy storage system.

TVA and TC Energy also recently invested $1.25 million to study carbon capture retrofits at TVA’s natural gas-fired plants in Mississippi and Kentucky.

The aim is to assess the feasibility, costs, and impacts of carbon capture technology as part of TVA’s decarbonization efforts. TVA said study findings will inform future decisions regarding TVA’s generation fleet. The federal utility’s goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Proponents say CCS could have a huge role in reducing emissions, while opponents note the technology is far from scale and argue that focusing on it distracts from renewable energy solutions.

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