"The Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) quarterly meeting in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, opened with a triumphant video homage to its work during Winter Storm Fern. Energy had come through, yet again, to defeat extreme cold. The montage credited this to the utility's "coal workhorses," then noted that nuclear provided "uninterrupted power" and "hydro responded instantly." The list ended there, despite years of promises that the agency would bolster renewables and battery storage."
"Its seven members unanimously dropped renewable energy as a priority, ended diversity programs, and granted two of the agency's four remaining coal plants a reprieve. The decision followed the seating of four members selected by President Trump, breaking months of paralysis that followed the termination of three Biden appointees."
"For years, TVA planners had mapped out a future without coal. That is now on hold. The Kingston Fossil Plant in Roane County, Tennessee, was scheduled for retirement in 2027, with all nine of its units slated for demolition and replacement with an "energy complex" of gas generation and battery storage. All of them will remain online alongside the gas plant, but renewables are no longer part of the picture."
The Tennessee Valley Authority's board, newly composed of Trump appointees, fundamentally shifted the nation's largest public power provider's energy strategy. During a February 11 meeting, the board unanimously removed renewable energy from priority status, terminated diversity programs, and granted two of four remaining coal plants extended operational life. Previously, TVA had planned to retire the Kingston Fossil Plant by 2027 and replace it with gas generation and battery storage. These changes now halt that transition, keeping coal plants online while eliminating renewable components from future energy plans. This policy reversal occurs amid rising electricity demand and raises concerns about future costs, environmental pollution, and the federal government's role in the nation's energy transition.
Read at Fast Company
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