Oak Ridge Today

TVA completes retaining wall, the largest of its kind, at Kingston ash spill

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Kingston Ash Spill Retaining Wall

KINGSTON—The Tennessee Valley Authority has achieved a significant milestone in its cleanup of the ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant—the completion of an earthquake-resistant, underground retaining wall around the containment cell at the recovery site.

The wall, which completely surrounds the 240-acre containment cell where recovered ash will be permanently stored, was completed on Feb. 20, almost a month ahead of schedule.

“I’m extremely proud of the project team for accomplishing this major undertaking,” said Bob Deacy, TVA senior vice president of projects. “They kept safety at the forefront and completed this significant milestone ahead of schedule.”

Construction of the wall began in summer 2011. Two high-capacity, long-reach hydraulic excavators dug trenches that were 4 feet wide and reached depths between 40 and 70 feet. More than 200,000 tons of cement and other materials were used to construct the wall, which is embedded 70 feet into the bedrock.

It is the largest wall of its kind in the U.S. at nearly 64,000 linear feet, the equivalent of 12 miles, and is designed to withstand a magnitude 6.0 earthquake. [Read more…]

UT hosts top nuclear engineering students, who meet Oak Ridge reps

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KNOXVILLE—Some of the best and brightest undergraduate students from around the United States gathered at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville recently for the chance to meet top experts in the field of nuclear engineering, including representatives from federal sites in Oak Ridge.

“This area really is the birthplace of a lot of activities related to nuclear engineering,” said Wesley Hines, head of UT’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, which sponsors the annual event. “Some of these kids don’t realize all of the nuclear-related opportunities that exist here until they do this program. What we hope to achieve is to let people see all that is possible, all that is already in place when they come here.”

The sessions gave prospective graduate students a chance to mingle with some of the biggest names in nuclear research and energy, including from the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the UCOR facilities at the East Tennessee Technology Park, and Tennessee Valley Authority, as well as with UT faculty and students.  [Read more…]

Oak Ridge High first in Tennessee Science Bowl, headed to D.C. in April

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Oak Ridge High School Tennessee Science Bowl Winners

From left to right are members of Oak Ridge High School’s Team 1:  Tina Wang, Albert Xue, Gaibo Zhang, Aram Bejnood, Bo Hyun Moon, and Coach Sharon Thomas. (Photo courtesy DOE)

ORHS team will compete in National Science Bowl

High school students from across Tennessee competed on Saturday, Feb. 22, at Pellissippi State Community College’s Blount County Campus, in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Tennessee Science Bowl competition. Fifty-five high school teams comprised of four students, and one alternate student, answered challenging mathematical problems and tested their knowledge in broad disciplines including chemistry, biology, earth and space science, physics, and energy.

Training for months after school, the student competitors committed hours of study to expanding and honing their mathematics and science knowledge and competition skills. And, all their work showed. Many of the competition rounds came down to the last nail-biting seconds before a winner emerged. However, in the end, Oak Ridge High’s Team 1 edged out their competitors, placing first.

Oak Ridge High School received a $1,000 cash prize, a first-place trophy, and an all-expenses-paid trip to the DOE National Science Bowl in Washington, D.C., from April 24-28, when they will compete against other winning teams from around the nation. [Read more…]

TVA meets winter peak demand record

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KNOXVILLE—The Tennessee Valley Authority met a record-breaking winter demand for electricity Friday morning with an estimated 33,345 megawatts when the average temperature across the region hovered at 7 degrees.

This would be TVA’s highest demand for electricity since the summer of 2007 and third-highest in TVA history, a press release said. The previous winter record was 32,572 megawatts set on Jan. 16, 2009.

Meeting the record demand required the combined efforts of TVA’s employees and generating facilities, coordination with the Valley’s 155 local power companies and large industrial customers, and the cooperation of businesses and households to conserve, the press release said.

The release said TVA received 29 percent of its power from coal-fired plants, 21 percent from nuclear plants, 24 percent from natural gas plants, 12 percent from hydroelectric dams, 2 percent from wind farms, and 12 percent from power market purchases. [Read more…]

Frigid temps lead to high electrical demand; TVA asks for reduced consumption

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Frigid temperatures are causing high demand for electricity across the Southeastern United States, the Tennessee Valley Authority said Thursday.

As a result, TVA is asking all electric power consumers—including residential, commercial, and industrial customers—to voluntarily reduce their use of electricity until Friday afternoon.

“Any reductions in electricity use can help ensure a continued supply of power to essential services throughout TVA’s seven-state service territory and avoid interruptions of service,” the public utility said in a press release. “All available generating resources are being used to meet the peak power demand.” [Read more…]

ORNL, DOE, Roane State, Borchers to take part in STEM Night at Woodland

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Bruce Borchers

Bruce Borchers

Representatives from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, and Roane State Community College—as well as Superintendent Bruce Borchers—will take part in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Night for students at Woodland Elementary School on Thursday.

The STEM Night for students is being hosted by the Woodland Parent Teacher Organization, a press release said. It will be in the school’s gymnasium. Borchers will kick off the event with opening comments at 5:15 p.m. Thursday.

A press release said Borchers is pursuing avenues to make Oak Ridge “the” premier STEM school district in the country. [Read more…]

TVA system meets single-day electricity record

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

Tennessee Valley residents set a single-day record for electricity use while keeping warm during this week’s arctic cold wave, the Tennessee Valley Authority said Wednesday.

Homes and businesses across TVA’s seven-state region used 703 gigawatt-hours of electricity on Tuesday, the most ever for a 24-hour, one-day period. TVA’s previous record was 701 gigawatt-hours on Jan. 8, 2010.

This came one day after TVA had its fourth highest “energy day” ever on Monday with 678 gigawatt-hours.

The Valley’s average temperature Tuesday never got above 21 degrees, and the average was just 4 degrees that morning when TVA’s power system experienced its second highest winter peak power demand in the public utility’s history. [Read more…]

TVA power demand hits second-highest winter peak

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

Power demand hit a peak of 32,460 megawatts at 9 a.m. Tuesday, the second-highest winter peak in Tennessee Valley Authority history.

The preliminary peak power demand occurred when the average temperature in the Tennessee Valley was a frigid 4 degrees, TVA said.

In a press release, the public utility said electricity use is now coming down. [Read more…]

TVA expects high electricity demand during cold wave

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TVA Offices in Chattanooga

The Tennessee Valley Authority offices in Chattanooga are pictured above. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority expects plunging temperatures from an arctic cold wave moving across the region will produce high demand for electricity.

TVA’s bulk electric system remains secure and stable at this time, a press release said.

“TVA has been monitoring and carefully preparing for this blast of potentially record-cold weather since last week,” TVA Chief Operating Officer Chip Pardee said. “We have taken proactive measures so the system remains robust and reliable for our customers and power users across the Valley.” [Read more…]

Roane Alliance receives TVA sustainable community award for 
Roane County

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Roane Alliance Sustainability Award

Pictured from left are John Bradley, Tennessee Valley Authority; Danice Turpin, Tennessee Applied College of Technology; Teresa Jackson, The Roane Alliance; Leslie Henderson, The Roane Alliance; and Del Boyette, Boyette Strategic Advisors. (Submitted photo)

The Roane Alliance received a Silver Award on behalf of Roane County at a recent Tennessee Valley Authority sustainable communities luncheon.

The TVA Valley Sustainable Communities Program Recognition Luncheon was Dec. 3 in Nashville. The award ceremony honored 13 communities from across the Tennessee Valley Region.

Roane County’s trophy was presented by Heidi Smith, a general manager in TVA’s economic development program, to Leslie Henderson, president and chief executive officer of The Roane Alliance; Teresa Jackson, Roane’s sustainable officer of The Roane Alliance; and Danice Turpin, director of Tennessee Applied College of Technology, a member of the Roane Green Team. [Read more…]

Aisin auto casting announces $53.8 million expansion in Clinton

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An auto parts manufacturer in Clinton has announced a second major expansion, a $53.8 million investment expected to create 81 new jobs during the next two years.

The investment was announced Tuesday by Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty and executives from Aisin Holdings of America Inc.

The company’s subsidiary in Clinton is called Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee, and it’s located along Frank L. Diggs Drive south of State Route 61 and just west of Interstate 75. It’s the company’s second major business expansion since locating in Tennessee in 2004. [Read more…]

TVA retiring eight coal units at three plants

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Colbert Fossil Plant

The Tennessee Valley Authority is retiring all five coal units at the Colbert Fossil Plant on the Pickwick Reservoir on the Tennessee River in Alabama. (Photo courtesy TVA)

The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors recently approved a plan that will retire eight coal units at three plants with more than 3,000 megawatts of combined generating capacity.

The retirements affect all five coal units at the Colbert Fossil Plant in Tuscumbia, Ala.; one of two operating coal units at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Stevenson, Ala., and two of three coal units at the Paradise Fossil Plant near Central City, Ky. Paradise Unit 3, one of TVA’s largest coal units, will continue to operate.

A number of these units were already idled or scheduled for idling and/or retirement based on an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency, TVA said in a press release. [Read more…]