Cumberland Reservation Operations

Stewart County, Tennessee

Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

February 2026 – An increase in power demand and associated reliability concerns have affected the original purpose and need of the Cumberland Fossil Plant (CUF) Retirement Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), prompting TVA to prepare a Supplemental EIS (SEIS) that assesses the impacts associated with a new proposed alternative. The new proposed alternative involves continuing the operation of both CUF coal-fired units past 2028, along with the previously analyzed combined cycle natural gas-fired units (CUG). The proposed alternative would allow for the use of an existing asset to ensure reliable service to TVA customers at the lowest feasible cost to meet this growing demand.

The SEIS was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 United States [U.S.] Code [USC] § 4321 et seq.), TVA’s NEPA procedures (18 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Part 1318]), and Executive Order (EO) 14154 (Unleashing American Energy) and informs decision-makers, regulatory agencies, and the public of the potential environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic impacts of the proposed alternative. The SEIS also addresses requirements associated with relevant federal, state, and local regulations, including but not limited to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and Sections 401 and 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision

In December 2022, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) issued the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) evaluating the environmental effects of the retirement and demolition of Cumberland Fossil Plant’s (CUF) two coal-fired units by the end of 2028 and the construction and operation of partial replacement generation. In the January 10, 2023, Record of Decision (ROD), TVA elected the phased decommissioning, decontamination, and demolition of the two CUF units. TVA proposed to replace the generation of one of the retired units with the construction and operation of a natural gas–fired combined cycle (CC) plant, the Cumberland Gas Plant (CUG), on TVA’s Cumberland Reservation. Planning for the replacement generation for the second retired CUF unit was deferred to allow consideration of a broader range of replacement generation alternatives, depending on system needs and the state of technology at the time replacement is needed. Construction at the CUG is ongoing. The two CUF coal units have not retired and are currently operating.

Public Involvement

In accordance with TVA’s NEPA regulations §1318.401, during the development of the SEIS, TVA obtained comments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Substantive comments were addressed in the SEIS and the comments are summarized in Appendix B. Additionally, the scoping and public involvement summarized in the Final EIS was incorporated into the SEIS by reference.

TVA conducted public scoping and requested public comments during the development of the Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement EIS. The public scoping period ran from May 11, 2021, to June 10, 2021. Comments were received by mail, email, and electronic comment forms.

The Draft Cumberland Fossil Plant Retirement EIS (DEIS) was made available for public review on April 29, 2022, and the public comment period ran through June 13, 2022. TVA received 830 comments on the DEIS. TVA carefully reviewed all of the substantive comments that it received. To avoid repetition, TVA grouped similar comments and produced one synthesized response for each comment grouping that resulted in responses to approximately 116 comment groupings. TVA’s responses to the comments can be found in Appendix O of the FEIS.