TVA completes expansion of Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant

The epxansion in Tuscumbia, Alabama, adds 750 MW of new natural gas generation to TVA’s generation fleet.

TVA completes expansion of Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
(New image of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant. Source: TVA.)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) announced the completion of the expansion of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant, TVA’s oldest gas-fired plant.

The $500 million expansion adds 750 MW of new natural gas generation to TVA’s generation fleet.

The Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant started commercial operation of three new units on July 25th of this year. Construction began in the summer of 2021, with more than one million hours of work safely dedicated to the project, with no significant environmental events, no OSHA serious events, and no lost-time injuries, TVA said.

“These units provide needed flexibility, responsiveness, and reliability for the power grid,” Roger Waldrep, Vice President of Major Projects, said. “They allow us to meet demand during peak periods, like the extremely hot days we experienced in August and September and the upcoming cold nights that are ahead this winter.”

TVA plans to invest $15 billion over the next three years to build additional generation and upgrade the existing system. The expansion of Colbert is part of TVA’s larger effort to build more than 3,800 MW of new generation that includes solar, energy storage, combustion turbines and combined-cycle natural gas.