Stewart County, Tennessee — On Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. there will be a Public Open House for the public discussion of the retirement of the Cumberland Fossil Plant in Cumberland City, Tennessee in the Land Between the Lakes area/region. The Public Open House will be held at the Stewart County, Tennessee Visitor’s Center, in Dover, Tennessee, according to a release.
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Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022 AT 5:30 PM CDT
Public Open House – Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement Environmental Impact Statement
Event by Tennessee Valley AuthorityPublic · Anyone on or off FacebookLocation of event:
Stewart County Visitor’s Center
17 Visitor Center Lane, Dover, TN 37058The Tennessee Valley Authority is asking the community to provide input on the draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Cumberland Fossil Plant retirement and replacement generation project in Stewart County, Tennessee.
To learn more about this project and the alternatives that TVA is considering, you are invited to an open house being held at Stewart County Visitor’s Center on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, from 6:30pm – 8:00pm.The draft environmental impact statement is available at www.tva.com/nepa. You may also call (865) 632-2256 to request a printed copy of the document.Your comments on this project are welcomed:
The 45-day public comment period will end on June 13, 2022. To be considered, mailed comments must be postmarked, or emailed comments timestamped, by June 13, 2022.Comments may be submitted in-person at the above-mentioned open house, or emailed or mailed to:
Ashley Pilakowski
Tennessee Valley Authority
400 W. Summit Hill Dr., WT11B
Knoxville, TN 37902
nepa@tva.govPlease note that any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection
Following the publication of the 2019 IRP, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began conducting end-of-life evaluations of our coal fleet to inform long-term planning. The aging coal fleet is experiencing deterioration of material condition and performance challenges. The performance challenges are projected to increase because of the coal fleet’s advancing age and the difficulty of adapting the fleet’s generation within the changing generation profile, according to government information.
Due to the reasons listed above, TVA has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the impacts associated with the proposed retirement and demolition of the two coal-fired units at the Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) and the construction and operation of facilities to replace part of the retired generation. To recover the generation capacity lost from retirement of one CUF unit, TVA is proposing the addition of approximately 1,450 MW of replacement generation. Replacement generation for the second retired CUF unit would likely consist of some combination of gas, solar, and storage, but the planning for that generation can be deferred to allow more time to assess the specific types and locations of that generation. Additional tiered NEPA analysis will be completed as these future generation needs are identified, according to a release.
TVA conducted scoping on this project and requested public comments on the scope of the EIS, alternatives being considered, and environmental issues that should be addressed as a part of this EIS. The public scoping period ran from May 11, 2021 to June 10, 2021. Comments were received by mail, email, and electronic comment forms. A copy of the comments received can be found in the scoping report linked in the “Related Documents” section below.
TVA is considering three action alternatives in the Draft EIS: (A) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of a Combined Cycle Combustion Turbine (CC) Gas Plant at the same site; (B) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Simple Cycle Combustion Turbine (CT) Gas Plants at alternate locations; (C) Retirement of CUF and construction and operation of Solar and Storage Facilities, primarily at alternate locations. Related actions, such as the natural gas pipeline and transmission upgrades associated with Alternatives A and B, will also be considered in this assessment, a release said.
In addition, the construction of a potential natural gas pipeline, would be subject to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) jurisdiction and additional review will be undertaken by FERC in accordance with its own NEPA procedures. To find more information about the potential pipeline related to TVA’s Alternative A, please click here.
Public Involvement
Public comment is open from April 29, 2022 – June 13, 2022.
TVA is collecting comments from the public between April 29 and June 13, 2022 and we want your feedback and comments on issues, questions and concerns related the proposed project. You may submit comments online, by email, or by mail to the address below. To be considered, comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than June 13, 2022. Please note that any comments received, including names and addresses, will become part of the project administrative record and will be available for public inspection. Due to COVID-19, electronic submission of comments is encouraged to ensure timely review and consideration.
Public Open Houses
TVA plans to host the following events:
- A virtual public open house on May 12, 2022, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. CT. Please register to attend. You will receive an email with your unique link to join on May 5, 2022.
- In-person public open house on May 17, 2022, from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. CT., at Stewart County Visitors Center, 17 Visitor Center Lane, Dover, TN 37058
- In-person public open house on May 18, 2022, from 6:30 -8:00 p.m. CT., at Houston County High School, 2500 TN-149, Erin, TN 37061
Virtual Meeting Room
Throughout the NEPA process, TVA has a virtual meeting room available with project information. Enter the virtual meeting room.
Related Documents
Draft Environmental Impact Statement Appendices
Cumberland Alternative Analysis
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
Foundation for Clean Energy Economy
Contact
More information on this environmental review can be obtained from:
Ashley Pilakowski
NEPA Specialist
aapilakowski@tva.gov
865-632-2256
400 West Summit Hill Drive, WT 11B
Knoxville, TN 37902
CONTACT:
- 400 WEST SUMMIT HILL DRIVE
- KNOXVILLE, TN 37902
- (865) 632-2101
- TVAINFO@TVA.COM
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