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| | Friday, February 15, 2019
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TVA moves away from coal Rejecting calls by President Donald Trump to keep using coal, the Tennessee Valley Authority voted Thursday to close two more of its coal power plants. Coal creates pollution and is not as economical as other sources of energy. The federal utility is shifting to more nuclear, natural gas and renewable sources as it faces a declining market for power. It will shutter a coal unit in Kentucky and the Bull Run Steam Plant near Oak Ridge. TVA Director Kenny Allen, a retired coal executive from Kentucky, urged the board to postpone a decision, but other members of the board said TVA studies showed the aging plants were more costly to maintain than to shut down. TVA estimates the aging facilities, would have required an estimated $1.3 billion in equipment and maintenance, and the closure will save TVA $320 million. "TVA has more than enough capacity to meet the load without Paradise and Bull Run," TVA President Bill Johnson told the board. He said the plant sites could be sold or used for other uses, such as the Widows Creek plant in Alabama, where Google is now building a $600 million data center. The potential of shutting down more coal plants provoked a tweet from Trump, who promised during his 2016 campaign to revive America's coal industry, which has become increasingly unpopular as a power source. Mary Anne Hitt, a senior director of the Sierra Club, said she was pleased "the board ignored the political games" and agreed to the staff recommendation. "Now they're paving the way for cleaner, more affordable energy in Tennessee and Kentucky."
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