TVA Assesses Future of Coal Wash Facility at Paradise
Aug. 15, 2003
DRAKESBORO, Ky. — TVA is conducting an environmental review of a proposal to idle a coal wash facility at the Paradise Fossil Plant and purchase increased amounts of pre-washed coal.
The proposal could save TVA approximately $17 million over the first three years after placing the coal preparation facility into idle status.
The coal-fired plant is located in western Kentucky on the Green River near Drakesboro and employs about 415 people. Idling of the coal wash facility would affect 44 employees. TVA anticipates that positions would be available to place all the employees currently supporting coal preparation.
TVA also has begun construction of a wet limestone scrubber on Unit 3 at the Paradise plant to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions. The project will create several hundred temporary construction jobs, and operation of the scrubber system beginning in 2006 will create some additional permanent jobs.
The plant burns approximately 25,000 tons of coal a day, and 45 percent of that amount is currently processed through the coal preparation facility at the plant site. If TVA decides to idle the coal wash facility, a majority of the pre-washed coal supply for Paradise would originate in the area currently supplying the raw coal.
TVA will evaluate the environmental impacts of the proposed action in an environmental assessment, including the ponds containing runoff from coal washing operations.
The 2,300-megawatt plant generates nearly 14 million megawatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply more than 900,000 homes. TVA has spent more than $3 billion on emissions controls at Paradise and other fossil plants to ensure that the power supply is generated as cleanly as possible.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states.
Media Contact:
Judy Elb, Chattanooga (423-751-3180) or TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865-632-6000)
