TVA’s Allen Fossil Plant Going Natural
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is retiring the 55-year-old Thomas H. Allen Fossil Plant and replacing it with a cleaner natural gas plant to supply residents of Memphis with affordable reliable power, while at the same time reducing particulate matter in the air. Major Thomas H. Allen was the founder of Allen & Hoshall and served as the president of Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Division from 1940-1958.
The Thomas H. Allen Fossil Plant was built by Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division in 1959 and purchased 25 years later by TVA. The current plant has a net generating capacity of 702 megawatts, with an additional 456 megawatts available for peak demand periods.
The new TVA Allen Natural Gas Power Plant will sit on 75 acres of land with an estimated construction cost of $975 million. Comparing it with the current Allen Fossil Plant, the new plant will reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent, nitrogen oxides by 90 percent, sulfur dioxide by nearly 100 percent, and will recycle 99 percent of the water it uses. With a capacity to generate 1,070 megawatts, the natural gas plant will be a highly efficient combined-cycle facility capable of providing power for more than 580,000 homes.
