Gas

TVA issues request for new firm generation

Proposals must be for 50 megawatts to 500 megawatts for various periods through December 2029.
TVA issues request for new firm generation
(Source: TVA.)

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has issued a Request for Proposal for energy and capacity to help meet demand, with proposals between 50 MW to 500 MW sought.

Proposals must be submitted by June 21, 2024 and must be for 50 MW to 500 MW for various periods through December 2029. TVA is seeking “Firm Generation Resources” or “Firm System Commitments” as defined in its RFP. Proposals should complement TVA’s existing generation resources and be delivered to the TVA service area, TVA said.

TVA recently received attention for moving ahead with a plan for a new natural gas plant in Tennessee despite warnings that its environmental review of the project doesn’t comply with federal law. The utility announced in April that it would replace the aging coal-burning Kingston Fossil Plant with gas amid growing calls for the agency’s new board of directors to invest in renewables.

Decommissioning the Kingston plant, the site of a massive 2008 coal ash spill, is part of TVA’s overall plan to reduce its reliance on coal. In analyzing alternatives to replace the plant, the utility considered either a new 1,500-MW gas plant or 1,500 MW of solar combined with 2,200 MW of battery storage. TVA concluded that a 2027 deadline for retiring the current plant does not give it enough time to develop the renewables alternative.

This article includes reporting from the Associated Press.

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