Tennessee Valley Authority owns 90% of the electric generating capacity in the state of Tennessee, including several hydro, nuclear, and wind facilities. In addition, TVA owns eleven coal-fired power plants in Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. Around 10% of the coal purchased by TVA comes from Central Appalachia (CAPP), although very little of the CAPP coal TVA buys is surface mined or mountaintop removal coal (3.6%).TVA uses essentially zero coal from the state of Tennessee, largely because coal from Tennessee is by far the most expensive coal that TVA buys. In fact, TVA is buying less and less CAPP coal due to the sharp increase in the cost. All told, the vast majority of TVA’s coal already comes from the western United States and the Illinois Basin.
Appalachian Voices is working with TVA and allies to show the negative impacts that mountaintop removal is having on the economy, ecology, and communities of our region. But most of all, we want to show them that mountaintop removal coal is proving to be an increasingly bad and risky investment. Mountaintop removal coal represents less than 2% of TVA’s electric generation, which could easily be replaced with job-creating measures such as energy efficiency and clean renewable energy.
Tennessee