The Tennessee Valley Authority board voted Wednesday to extend operations at two of its largest coal-fired power plants, reversing earlier plans to retire the units and citing rising electricity demand and changes in the regulatory landscape.
The decision keeps more than 3,000 megawatts of coal-fired generation online at the Cumberland and Kingston fossil plants, together capable of powering more than 2 million homes across the Tennessee Valley.
TVA Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Tom Rice told board members he was recommending they authorize continued operation of “both units at our Cumberland fossil plant and all nine units at our Kingston fossil plant.”
“Most significantly is a significant increase in electricity demand and the declaration of an energy emergency,” Rice said. “We’ve also seen a significant change in the regulatory outlook, particularly for coal, and that creates both the opportunity and the need for us to revisit these decisions.”…