TVA unveils plans including more solar and gas to meet growing demand for energy

From adding up to 6,000 megawatts of solar and battery storage to its grid to considering expansion of natural gas, the Tennessee Valley Authority on May 10 rolled out the plans and ideas it has for the future.

With demand for energy in TVA's seven-state region continuing to increase and climate change causing extreme weather events, such as the winter storm that resulted in rolling blackouts in December, the federal utility needs a plan for how to keep providing reliable electricity while also reducing its carbon output.

Here's a breakdown of what TVA has planned.

What new electricity generation projects are already in the works?

According to TVA's after-action report, and information shared during the quarterly board meeting, the federal utility is building about 3,800 megawatts of new electricity generation. Here's what's coming:

• Building a combined cycle gas plant at Cumberland that will generate about 1,500 megawatts. This gas plant is intended to replace one of two aging coal units at the Cumberland Fossil Plant in middle Tennessee.

• Installing three simple cycle combustion turbines that produce 250 megawatts each at the Colbert gas plant in Alabama.

• Installing three simple cycle combustion turbines that produce 250 megawatts each at the Paradise gas plant in Kentucky.

• Installing aero-derivative combustion turbines at the Johnsonville gas plant, producing 500 megawatts.

• Building 200 megawatts of solar in Lawrence County.

• Building 100 megawatts of solar on top of coal ash, pending environmental review, at the Shawnee Fossil Plant in Kentucky.

• Building 20 megawatts of battery storage at Vonore.

For subscribers: How a perfect storm of freezing cold and aging power plants led to Tennessee blackouts

What is TVA considering next?

In addition to the current buildout of electricity generation, TVA also released plans to look into new technologies and different ways to add energy to its portfolio. Here are some of the plans TVA mentioned on May 10:

Solar and batteries

TVA's request for clean energy proposals could yield up to 6,000 additional megawatts of electricity from solar and battery storage projects. TVA is just waiting for the companies it has selected to sign contracts. This helps TVA in reaching its goal to install 10,000 megawatts of solar on its grid by 2035.

Creating a 'virtual power plant'

• TVA said it plans to add more demand response and energy efficiency to its grid. The flexibility of these investments could allow TVA to reduce the overall electricity demand on its system when needed.

• Demand response is when TVA asks corporations or industries to reduce their demand for electricity, which can help in cases when TVA is a seeing a surge in demand and is struggling to meet it.

• Energy efficiency allows homes and buildings in the Valley to become more weatherized so electricity isn't wasted as much, such as by installing heat pumps.

• TVA said during its board meeting that investments in these measures as a "virtual power plant" could offset 40% or more of new energy growth.

Natural gas

• As part of its plan to retire aging coal plants, TVA is considering replacing coal units at the Kingston Fossil Plant with a natural gas plant. TVA will release its draft environmental study on this project, which evaluates different options for replacing the coal units, on May 12. During the board meeting, TVA said its preferred option is gas.

• TVA also announced it is looking at "environmental reviews for potential options" for sites that could house more natural gas plants, TVA spokesperson Buddy Eller told Knox News.

• During the meeting, TVA said it will conduct environmental reviews to potentially extend operations or add capacity at its current gas plants, mentioning the Allan and Lagoon Creek gas plants.

• TVA's continued investment in natural gas has come under scrutiny by members of the public and environmental groups. During TVA's public listening session the day before the board meeting, many individuals voiced their objections to TVA's gas expansion plans, including potential plans for Kingston, current plans for Cumberland and the new gas pipelines that would come with these projects.

• Environmental groups are concerned that TVA's investments in gas pull the utility back from its goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions to combat climate change. Gas plants still emit carbon dioxide, though less than coal plants. The natural gas supply chain at different stages also can result in methane emissions, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

• Environmental groups also have questioned TVA's investments in gas as going against the best interest of ratepayers due to the fluctuating fuel costs.

• TVA told Knox News previously its plans for adding new natural gas to its system is to provide a backup as it adds more solar, which can be intermittent in providing electricity depending on the weather.

Pumped hydro

TVA has one pumped hydro facility called Racoon Mountain and is looking to add more. The Racoon Mountain plant pumps water to the top of the mountain, and when TVA needs extra electricity, it runs the water down the mountain to turn a turbine. TVA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Energy to look at the value of hydro power and pumped storage to its grid, as well as looking at how climate change could impact the federal utility's hydro facilities.

Nuclear

• TVA has entered an agreement to help fund and design a small modular nuclear reactor with companies based in different countries: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Ontario Power Generation based in Canada and Synthos Green Energy in Poland.

• Small modular reactors are a new wave of reactors that generate about 300 megawatts of energy or less. These new reactors are intended to be smaller in size, cost less and be safer than the reactors currently on electric grids.

• The design TVA is hoping to install at its Clinch River Nuclear Site near Oak Ridge is about the size of a football field. Other companies across the country are coming up with their own designs and each will need to be permitted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Hydrogen fuel

• TVA joined a group of neighboring utilities in the Southeast to create a network for hydrogen fuel across six states. The coalition of utilities includes Duke Energy, Dominion Energy, Southern Company, Kentucky Utilities Company and Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Battelle.

• The coalition submitted an application to the Department of Energy for funding the network this past April.

Anila Yoganathan is an investigative reporter. Email anila.yoganathan@knoxnews.com. Twitter @AnilaYoganathan.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: TVA's plans for future grid include more solar and natural gas