As the Tennessee Valley Authority reviews options for its power generation network, it soon will decide whether to shut down old coal-fired units and determine how many nuclear units to build, says Tom Kilgore, the federal power producer’s CEO.
TVA has a goal of producing half its power with clean energy sources by 2020. Its plan is to focus on construction of nuclear generation and increased energy efficiency, Kilgore says. The utility has 59 units in its coal-fired fleet, 17 with scrubbers installed, but the remaining 42 are candidates for retirement, Kilgore says. A number have selective catalytic reduction equipment, but they may still need upgraded technology, he says.