The Tennessee Valley Authority has retired the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Claxton.
The plant burned the last of its onsite coal onsite in August, ending a 48-day run. TVA retired the plant December 1.
The TVA Board of Directors approved the retirement of Bull Run on February 14, 2019. That followed an environmental review process that included public input, TVA said.
Bull Run began operating in 1967. At the time it was the largest in the world in the volume of steam produced, according to TVA. Located on 750 acres in Claxton across from Oak Ridge, it was the only single-unit power plant in the TVA system, and it was designed to produce up to 950 megawatts. It has an 800-foot reinforced concrete chimney.
Recently, the coal plant could generate up to 765 megawatts in the summer, enough to power more than 440,000 homes.
“With the retirement of Bull Run, TVA’s remaining coal fleet will continue to provide power to the people of the (Tennessee) Valley region over the next decade,” the public utility said in a fact sheet. “For decades, coal generation was the workhorse of TVA’s energy portfolio. As TVA drives to a cleaner energy future, we will reduce our reliance on coal with plans to retire the entire coal fleet by 2035.”
TVA said it is considering many options for future use of the site, including the potential for battery storage or installing equipment to help stabilize the transmission grid.
“No decisions have been made at this time,” TVA said. “TVA will undergo an environmental review process to evaluate potential options, which includes soliciting public input and TVA Board approval before a decision will be made.”
TVA said it has a workforce plan to help employees with the transition after the plant retirement.
“At Bull Run, every employee was given their first choice of post-site retirement options, whether that be a new position within TVA, remaining onsite as part of the transition team, or retirement.”
Regarding residual coal and coal ash, TVA said it has completed a multi-year, comprehensive environmental assessment at the plant as part of the regulatory process for a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation’s order.
“This regulatory process determines the closure method of the coal ash sites in Tennessee, as well as how TVA will address any unacceptable risks,” a statement said. “No decision will be made on the long-term storage location of Bull Run’s coal ash until this regulatory process is completed.
“It’s important to note that the results of the environmental assessment and other ongoing monitoring efforts show that ecological communities in the Clinch River, Bullrun Creek, and Worthington Branch adjacent to and downstream of the Bull Run plant are as healthy as locations upstream of the Bull Run Plant.”
(For more information visit www.tva.com/tdecorder/bullrun.)
TVA said President John F. Kennedy agreed with TVA Chair Herbert Vogel in March 1961 to build Bull Run Fossil Plant. This followed a sharp increase in power demand due to military needs in the 1950s.
Construction began a year later and commercial operations began June 12, 1967. The original construction cost was $141,483,000–equivalent to about $1.4 billion today, TVA said.
The plant, which operated 56 years, received the Best Heat Rate award in the nation 14 times, TVA said.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
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