Net electricity generation by energy source in 2021[1]

  Nuclear (43.1%)
  Coal (22.2%)
  Natural gas (17.6%)
  Hydroelectric (15.7%)
  Biomass (0.8%)
  Solar (0.4%)
  Petroleum (0.1%)
  Wind (0.1%)

The U.S. state of Tennessee receives its power from a variety of sources. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the primary utility in Tennessee which generates electricity and sells it to hundreds of local utilities and industrial customers.[2] Like most of the US, the sources used to generate power in Tennessee have changed substantially in the last decade. Coal's share of power has declined from nearly 60% in 2008 to about 25% in 2018, while natural gas has increased significantly.[3] Tennessee is home to the two newest nuclear reactors in the US at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, unit 2 being the first to begin operation in the 21st century.[3] After Watts Bar Unit 2 began operation in late 2016, nuclear power passed coal as the top source of electricity.[4] In November 2018 natural gas produced more power than coal for the first time in Tennessee.[5] Tennessee is home to the third largest pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in the US, and has the third highest net generation of hydroelectric power of states east of the Mississippi River, and eighth highest nationwide.[3] In 2018, about 57% of the power consumed in Tennessee was generated with emissions free sources.[5] Tennessee is a net consumer of electricity, consuming more power than it generates and receiving power from TVA facilities in neighboring states.[4]

Biomass

Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
City of Covington Waste-To-Energy Gasification Plant Nashville, Tennessee 0.125 City of Nashville 2013

Coal

Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened Scheduled retirement
Cumberland Fossil Plant[6] Cumberland City, Tennessee 2,600 Tennessee Valley Authority 1973 2028[7]
Gallatin Fossil Plant[8] Sumner County, Tennessee 1,255 Tennessee Valley Authority 1956 2035[9]
Kingston Fossil Plant[10] Kingston, Tennessee 1,700 Tennessee Valley Authority 1954 2035[9]

Natural gas

The Tennessee Valley Authority operates nine natural gas power stations in Tennessee.[11] Six of these use simple combustion turbines. Three newer facilities use more efficient combined cycle generators.

Name Location Type Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
Allen Combined Cycle Plant Memphis, Tennessee Gas, biogas 660 Tennessee Valley Authority 2018
Allen Combustion Turbine Plant Memphis, Tennessee Gas, biogas 456 Tennessee Valley Authority 1971
Brownsville Combustion Turbine Plant Brownsville, Tennessee Gas 468 Tennessee Valley Authority 1999
Gallatin Combustion Turbine Plant Gallatin, Tennessee Gas 600 Tennessee Valley Authority 1975
Gleason Combustion Turbine Plant Weakley County, Tennessee Gas 465 Tennessee Valley Authority 2000
Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle Plant Brownsville, Tennessee Gas 525 Tennessee Valley Authority 2010
Lagoon Creek Combustion Turbine Plant Brownsville, Tennessee Gas 941 Tennessee Valley Authority 2001
John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant Rogersville, Tennessee Gas 870 Tennessee Valley Authority 2012
Johnsonville Combustion Turbine Plant New Johnsonville, Tennessee Gas 1,133 Tennessee Valley Authority 1975, 2000

Hydroelectric plants

Name[12] Location Type Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
Boone Dam Holston River Hydroelectric 89 Tennessee Valley Authority 1952
Cheatham Dam Cumberland River Hydroelectric 36 United States Army Corps of Engineers 1960
Center Hill Dam Cumberland River Hydroelectric 160 United States Army Corps of Engineers 1950
Cherokee Dam Holston River Hydroelectric 136 Tennessee Valley Authority 1941
Chickamauga Dam Tennessee River Hydroelectric 119 Tennessee Valley Authority 1940
Cordell Hull Dam Cumberland River Hydroelectric 100 United States Army Corps of Engineers 1973
Douglas Dam French Broad River Hydroelectric 111 Tennessee Valley Authority 1943
Fort Loudoun Dam Tennessee River Hydroelectric 162 Tennessee Valley Authority 1943
Fort Patrick Henry Dam Holston River Hydroelectric 41 Tennessee Valley Authority 1953
Great Falls Dam Caney Fork River Hydroelectric 36 Tennessee Valley Authority 1916
J. Percy Priest Dam Stones River Hydroelectric 28 United States Army Corps of Engineers 1967
Melton Hill Dam Clinch River Hydroelectric 79 Tennessee Valley Authority 1963
Nickajack Dam Tennessee River Hydroelectric 105 Tennessee Valley Authority 1967
Norris Dam Clinch River Hydroelectric 110 Tennessee Valley Authority 1936
Ocoee Dam No. 1 Ocoee River Hydroelectric 24 Tennessee Valley Authority 1911
Ocoee Dam No. 2 Ocoee River Hydroelectric 23 Tennessee Valley Authority 1913
Ocoee Dam No. 3 Ocoee River Hydroelectric 29 Tennessee Valley Authority 1943
Old Hickory Dam Cumberland River Hydroelectric 100 United States Army Corps of Engineers 1957
Pickwick Dam Tennessee River Hydroelectric 229 Tennessee Valley Authority 1938
Raccoon Mountain Dam Tennessee River Pumped storage hydro 1,652 Tennessee Valley Authority 1978
South Holston Dam Holston River Hydroelectric 44 Tennessee Valley Authority 1950
Tims Ford Dam Elk River Hydroelectric 36 Tennessee Valley Authority 1970
Watauga Dam Watauga River Hydroelectric 66 Tennessee Valley Authority 1948
Watts Bar Dam Tennessee River Hydroelectric 182 Tennessee Valley Authority 1942
Wilbur Dam Watauga River Hydroelectric 11 Tennessee Valley Authority 1912

Wind farms

See also: Wind power in Tennessee
Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
Buffalo Mountain Wind Farm Oak Ridge, Tennessee 29 Tennessee Valley Authority 2000

Solar stations

See also: Solar power in Tennessee
Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
Allen Solar Plant Memphis, Tennessee 1 Tennessee Valley Authority 2017
Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Solar Farm Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport, Chattanooga, Tennessee 2.1 Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport Authority 2011
Mulberry Solar Farm McNairy County, Tennessee 20 Strata Solar 2014
Selmer Solar Farm Selmer, Tennessee 20 Strata Solar 2014
Volkswagen Solar Farm Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant, Chattanooga, Tennessee 9.5 Volkswagen Chattanooga Assembly Plant 2013
West Tennessee Solar Farm Stanton, Tennessee 5 University of Tennessee 2012

Nuclear plants

The Tennessee Valley Authority operates two nuclear plants in Tennessee. In addition much of the power generated at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in Limestone County, Alabama is distributed to Tennessee.

Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened
Sequoyah Nuclear Plant Soddy-Daisy, Tennessee 2,300 Tennessee Valley Authority 1981
Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Spring City, Tennessee 2,300 Tennessee Valley Authority 1996 and 2015

Former facilities

Coal

Name Location Capacity (MW) Operator Year opened Year retired
Eastman Chemical Power Plant Kingsport, Tennessee 131 Eastman Chemical Co-TN Ops 1936 1994
Allen Fossil Plant Memphis, Tennessee 990 Tennessee Valley Authority 1959 2018
Watts Bar Steam Plant Rhea County, Tennessee 267 Tennessee Valley Authority 1942 1982
John Sevier Fossil Plant Hawkins County, Tennessee 880 Tennessee Valley Authority 1957 2012
Johnsonville Fossil Plant New Johnsonville, Tennessee 1500 Tennessee Valley Authority 1951 2017
Bull Run Fossil Plant[13] Claxton, Tennessee 950 Tennessee Valley Authority 1967 2023[14]

Hydroelectric

Station Location Type Capacity (MW) Status Year opened Year closed
Hales Bar Dam Haletown, Tennessee Hydroelectric 71 Decommissioned 1913 1952

Cancelled facilities

Station Location Type Units Year construction began Year cancelled
Hartsville Nuclear Plant Hartsville, Tennessee Nuclear 4 1975 1984
Phipps Bend Nuclear Plant Surgoinsville, Tennessee Nuclear 2 1977 1981

See also

References

  1. ^ "EIA Net generation for all sectors". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  2. ^ "Tennessee - State Energy Profile Analysis". eia.gov. US Energy Information Administration. May 17, 2018. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  3. ^ a b c "Tennessee - State Energy Profile Overview". eia.gov. U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  4. ^ a b Popovich, Nadja (December 24, 2018). "How Does Your State Make Electricity?". The New York Times. New York City. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  5. ^ a b "Electric Power Monthly". eia.gov. U.S. Energy Information Administration. February 27, 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-18.
  6. ^ TVA Cumberland Fossil Plant
  7. ^ "TVA Retiring Cumberland, Continues Transition to Clean Energy Future". Tennessee Valley Authority. Jan 10, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  8. ^ TVA Gallatin Fossil Plant
  9. ^ a b Gardner, Timothy (May 3, 2021). "Tennessee Valley Authority plans to shut coal plants by 2035". Reuters. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  10. ^ TVA Kingston Fossil Plant
  11. ^ TVA - Natural Gas
  12. ^ TVA - Hydroelectric
  13. ^ TVA Bull Run Fossil Plant
  14. ^ Gardner, Timothy (February 14, 2019). "U.S. utility TVA votes to close two coal power plants, in blow to Trump". Reuters. Retrieved February 14, 2019.

External links

Power stations in the United States (largest)
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