John Sevier Fossil Plant

Hawkins County, Tennessee

Proposed Gas-Fired Combustion Turbine/Combined-Cycle Generating Capacity and Associated Natural Gas Pipeline

In March 2010, TVA issued an environmental assessment (EA) and a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for a proposal to construct and operate a new gas-fired combustion turbine/combined-cycle (CT/CC) generating plant on the site of its John Sevier Fossil Plant (JSF). The EA considers the impacts of taking no action and of constructing the gas-fired facility. 

The proposed CT/CC plant would be operated to provide TVA with intermittent to base-load generation and help TVA meet obligations to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions to fulfill requirements under the Clean Air Act and an Order issued by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Under that Order, TVA is required to install NOx and SO2 emission controls on its coal units at JSF by January 1, 2012. Construction and operation of the JSF CT/CC plant would provide the needed generation to meet the power needs of the power transmission system and would allow TVA to meet the emission limits and court-ordered timetable for emission reductions for JSF.

Operation of the proposed JSF CC facility would require the construction and operation of 16.3 miles of new gas pipeline and upgrades to approximately 11.7 miles of existing gas pipeline. Additionally, the pipeline project would include construction of a new meter station, a new regulator, and modifications to four existing compressor stations to supply fuel for the new CT/CC plant.