⚡TVA's Decision on New Caledonia Gas Plant EIS
New Caledonia Gas Plant Environmental Impact Statement
Summary
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has decided to adopt the Preferred Alternative identified in its Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS; Document ID EISX-455-00-000-1734008442) for the construction of the New Caledonia Gas (NCG) Plant. TVA's Preferred Alternative, Alternative B, involves the construction and operation of an approximately 500 megawatts (MW), dual fuel, simple cycle, frame combustion turbine (CT) facility on the NCG Plant property. Alternative B will achieve the purpose and need to support continued load growth within TVA's seven-state service territory in a way that is consistent with the recommendations in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). The CTs are needed to provide dispatchable generation capacity to ensure that TVA can reliably meet required year- round generation, maximum capacity system demands, planning reserve margin targets, and comply with a primary objective under the TVA Act that power be sold at rates as low as feasible. The addition of CT units to the fleet supports meeting the growing demand for electricity and enhances system flexibility to integrate distributed resources and renewables such as solar generation. As the amount of solar generation in the TVA generation portfolio continues to increase, flexibility of the remainder of the fleet becomes even more important.
Agencies
- Tennessee Valley Authority
Business Impact
$$$ - High
The regulation involves the construction of a new gas plant by TVA, impacting electricity supply, which influences operational costs for businesses. It supports load growth in the region and integrates renewable energy, attracting investments and potential partnerships for related projects. Compliance with environmental standards also affects operational practices.