Air Quality

As part of its role of being a good steward of the Valley’s natural resources, TVA has one of the most aggressive clean air control programs in the country.

Some Highlights of TVA’s Program Include:

• TVA has spent nearly $6 billion to reduce air emissions.
• TVA has installed emission controls on all of its coal-fired units.
• To reduce nitrogen oxides, TVA has installed selective catalytic reduction systems (SCRs) on 21 of its coal units.
• To reduce sulfur dioxide emissions, TVA has switched to low-sulfur coal at some fossil plants and equipped 60 percent of its coal-fired capacity with scrubbers.
• All of TVA’s natural gas fired combined cycle plants have SCRs to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions.
• New air emission controls are approved for Shawnee and Gallatin Fossil Plants and are scheduled to be in place by 2017.

Air Quality Standards

By investing in high technology emissions-cleaning technology, TVA has reduced sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions by 94 percent since regulations began in 1977. Nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions have been reduced by 91 percent since 1995. See how emissions have trended sharply downward over the years on our Carbon Dioxide,  Nitrogen Oxides, Sulfur Dioxide,  Ozone and Greenhouse Gases pages. Or view emissions data for every one of our fossil plants—from Ackerman to Widows Creek—on our comprehensive Air Quality Standards index. 

Technology for Quality of Life

TVA’s investment in clean air technology has quality-of-life payoffs for Valley residents. See how the SCRs and scrubber equipment works to clean the air while keeping fossil plants working to produce the energy the Valley needs to thrive.

Clean Air Act Agreements

Through an agreement with the EPA, several environmental groups and the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina, TVA has agreed to phase out some fossil-fired units and replace them with cleaner sources of power and energy efficiency measures. Read more about TVA's agreement with the EPA.