NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Under a new board majority selected by President Joe Biden, the nation’s largest public utility responded Thursday to a drumbeat of concerns about not meeting the Biden administration’s climate change goals in the energy sector by releasing a new study on clean energy heralded adoption opportunities across the region’s economy.
The Tennessee Valley Authority announced plans for the study with the University of Tennessee Baker Center for Public Policy during its board meeting in Florence, Alabama. The study will examine electricity supply, among other areas of the economy, to find ways to reduce the carbon load that drives climate change. TVA estimates the review will take 18 months.
“Put simply, this initiative will accelerate a clean energy economy and support the region’s economic competitiveness, and will fully educate TVA on the real challenge ahead,” Jeff Lyash, TVA President and CEO, told board members.
Proponents of green and renewable energy are closely watching the board’s move to a Biden-elected majority. The transition follows the federal utility’s decision to stick with one fossil fuel — gas — to replace some of the generation from Tennessee’s aging coal-fired Cumberland Fossil Plant, which is scheduled to be shut down. Those advocates harshly criticized the election, as did the US Environmental Protection Agency, which ultimately declined to contest the plan pending a White House council.
The utility has previously replaced coal blocks with gas and is considering the option again for another aging coal-fired power plant in Tennessee. Currently, TVA’s generating capacity of more than 33,700 megawatts comprises 39% nuclear, 19% coal, 26% natural gas and 11% hydroelectric. According to the utility’s website, wind and solar account for 3%, while energy efficiency programs account for 1%.
Lyash said natural gas is the “only mature technology available today that could be operational at Cumberland to provide fixed, ready-to-use power” to replace the first-generation unit at the plant before it shuts down in 2026. TVA has been criticized for not looking comprehensively enough at the combinations of available options.
Cumberland’s decision was only briefly discussed on Thursday.
Gaby Sarri-Tobar, an activist with the Center for Biological Diversity’s Energy Justice program, said in an emailed statement that “TVA needs to build an equitable, 100% renewable system,” adding that new board members have “an enormous responsibility”.
Sarri-Tobar also mentioned outages at coal and gas-fired power plants from a winter storm just before Christmas last year that forced TVA to resort to rolling blackouts. The glitches are the subject of several reviews.
Don Moul, TVA’s chief operating officer, said Thursday about 6,800 megawatts of power generation was lost as the harsh freezing conditions proved “beyond the capabilities of existing heat tracing and insulation to protect equipment exposed to the elements.” . Other utilities were unable to help provide additional power to TVA as many were also impacted by the storm, Moul said.
Both Cumberland units were out throughout the cold conditions due to frozen utility lines, he said. Many of the gas-fired simple and combined cycle power plants were affected, but most of these were restarted during the cold, Moul said. Although TVA was able to bring 1,000 megawatts back online after the initial outages, TVA decided to introduce rolling power outages for a second day to keep its power system stable.
Maggie Shober, director of research at the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, noted in an emailed statement that the meeting’s discussion included her organization’s priorities related to the Christmas Eve blackouts, energy efficiency and decarbonization. But there was “no indication of clear action by the board on those priorities in terms of accountability, transparency, economic development and comprehensive planning for the future,” Shober added.
Biden has set a goal of a zero-carbon energy sector by 2035, which TVA cannot achieve without technological breakthroughs in nuclear power generation and energy storage. TVA has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. The utility has its own ambitious goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Lyash said TVA plans to add 10,000 to 14,000 megawatts of new power generation by the end of the decade to meet growing demand. He also said the utility believes it can reach up to an additional 1,000 megawatts next year through initiatives to reduce customer demand for electricity.
He also referenced TVA’s goal to add 10,000 megawatts of solar power to its system by 2035, and addressed efforts to support electric vehicle manufacturers and install charging stations.
“Electrification of the transport sector, if we can do it effectively and efficiently, is our biggest opportunity for decarbonization here in the Valley,” said Lyash.
TVA provides electricity to 10 million people in parts of seven southern states.
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