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Released March 07, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--An environmental impact statement (EIS) released last month from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) (Knoxville, Tennessee) recommends that power from the agency's coal-fired power plant in Kingston, Tennessee, be replaced with natural gas-fired power. The recommendation paves the way not only for a new $1.6 billion gas-fired combined-cycle plant, but also for the construction of a 122-mile natural gas pipeline to supply fuel to the new plant.
The EIS recommendation fits within the TVA's most recent Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), issued in 2019, which calls for a shift in fuel sources used in the agency's generation mix with the addition of more than 18,000 megawatts (MW) of natural gas-fired power and up to 14,000 MW of solar by 2038. A new IRP is expected to be issued this year. The TVA's EIS on the Kingston coal-fired plant recommends replacing the plant, which began operating in 1955, with gas-fired combined-cycle generation.
The TVA says maintaining Kingston's coal-fired status would require $655 million in upgrades, and that converting the coal generators to run on gas would be less efficient and less cost-effective than building a new gas-fired power plant.
While coal-fired operations at the Kingston plant are not planned to cease completely until 2027, construction of the new gas-fired plant could begin well before that, as it would not be situated directly in the footprint of the coal plant. Construction could begin next year and would probably include two 435-MW gas turbines with two heat-recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and a 580-MW steam turbine, resulting in 1,450 MW of generation. The plant would be completed in late 2027, around the time of the coal plant's planned retirement. Subscribers to Industrial Infos' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more information on the project.
But a new gas-fired plant also necessitates something else: a way to deliver fuel to the plant. Before the TVA began collecting comments for the EIS, the agency entered an agreement with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Incorporated (NYSE:ENB) (Calgary, Alberta) regarding construction of a 122-mile grassroot pipeline to feed the new plant.
The Ridgeline Expansion Project, as it is known, would closely follow the route of an existing pipeline to minimize environmental impact, and it would include a 117-mile mainline and a five-mile lateral that would deliver up to 400 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. A 2025 start date for construction would put the pipeline on track for completion in late 2026, well in time to provide fuel for the new power plant. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pipeline Project Database can learn more by viewing the reports on the mainline and lateral.
The pipeline also would necessitate a new compressor station in the Hartsville area. Enbridge is considering adding an 8-MW solar array to partially supply power to the new station as well as provide some power back to the grid. Subscribers can view the reports on the compressor station and solar array.
The TVA is targeting an 80% reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050. While a gas-fired plant would not eliminate emissions entirely, it would reduce them substantially from the amount emitted by the facility's coal-fired predecessor.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here to view reports for all of the project discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
The EIS recommendation fits within the TVA's most recent Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), issued in 2019, which calls for a shift in fuel sources used in the agency's generation mix with the addition of more than 18,000 megawatts (MW) of natural gas-fired power and up to 14,000 MW of solar by 2038. A new IRP is expected to be issued this year. The TVA's EIS on the Kingston coal-fired plant recommends replacing the plant, which began operating in 1955, with gas-fired combined-cycle generation.
The TVA says maintaining Kingston's coal-fired status would require $655 million in upgrades, and that converting the coal generators to run on gas would be less efficient and less cost-effective than building a new gas-fired power plant.
While coal-fired operations at the Kingston plant are not planned to cease completely until 2027, construction of the new gas-fired plant could begin well before that, as it would not be situated directly in the footprint of the coal plant. Construction could begin next year and would probably include two 435-MW gas turbines with two heat-recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and a 580-MW steam turbine, resulting in 1,450 MW of generation. The plant would be completed in late 2027, around the time of the coal plant's planned retirement. Subscribers to Industrial Infos' Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more information on the project.
But a new gas-fired plant also necessitates something else: a way to deliver fuel to the plant. Before the TVA began collecting comments for the EIS, the agency entered an agreement with Canadian pipeline operator Enbridge Incorporated (NYSE:ENB) (Calgary, Alberta) regarding construction of a 122-mile grassroot pipeline to feed the new plant.
The Ridgeline Expansion Project, as it is known, would closely follow the route of an existing pipeline to minimize environmental impact, and it would include a 117-mile mainline and a five-mile lateral that would deliver up to 400 million cubic feet per day of natural gas. A 2025 start date for construction would put the pipeline on track for completion in late 2026, well in time to provide fuel for the new power plant. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Pipeline Project Database can learn more by viewing the reports on the mainline and lateral.
The pipeline also would necessitate a new compressor station in the Hartsville area. Enbridge is considering adding an 8-MW solar array to partially supply power to the new station as well as provide some power back to the grid. Subscribers can view the reports on the compressor station and solar array.
The TVA is targeting an 80% reduction in carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2035 and net-zero emissions by 2050. While a gas-fired plant would not eliminate emissions entirely, it would reduce them substantially from the amount emitted by the facility's coal-fired predecessor.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database can click here to view reports for all of the project discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
