Allen Fossil Plant
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Allen Fossil Plant is an operating power station of at least 1411-megawatts (MW) in Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating. It is also known as TH Allen power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Allen Fossil Plant | Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, United States | 35.074187, -90.148745 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- CC1, G17, G18, G19, G20, Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3: 35.074187, -90.148745
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas[1] | 1171[1] | combined cycle[1] | no[2] | 2018[2] | – |
| G17 | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: fuel oil[1] | 60[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[2] | 1972[2] | 2025 (planned)[1][3][4] |
| G18 | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: fuel oil[1] | 60[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[2] | 1972[2] | 2025 (planned)[1][3][4] |
| G19 | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: fuel oil[1] | 60[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[2] | 1972[2] | 2025 (planned)[1][3][4] |
| G20 | Operating[1] | fossil gas: natural gas, fossil liquids: fuel oil[1] | 60[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[2] | 1972[2] | 2025 (planned)[1][3][4] |
| Unit 1 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 330 | subcritical | – | 1959 | 2018 |
| Unit 2 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 330 | subcritical | – | 1959 | 2018 |
| Unit 3 | Retired | coal: bituminous | 330 | subcritical | – | 1959 | 2018 |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| CC1 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| G17 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| G18 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| G19 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| G20 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 1 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Tennessee Valley Authority [100%] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
Ownership Tree
This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.
Background
The Allen power station had three coal-fired generating units and "net dependable generating capacity" of approximately 753 megawatts. TVA states that "the plant consumed some 7,200 tons of coal a day." Construction of the Allen power station commenced in 1956 and was commissioned in 1959.[5]
Coal-fired units
In April 2014, the TVA board of directors voted to retire the Allen Fossil Plant, and build a new, combined-cycle natural gas plant nearby. The new gas plant was planned to be 1,000 MW and operable by the end of 2018.[6]
In August 2014 TVA announced it would retire the Allen Steam Plant by 2018, and would decide whether to replace it with a new natural gas facility or renewables.[7]
Gas-fired generation
Allen Combustion Turbine Plant
Allen Combustion Turbine Plant was built in 1971, and the final unit was completed in 1972. The plant is located near the Allen Combined Cycle Plant. It was originally built with 20 units and a combined capacity of approximately 456 MW – enough to power more than 267,000 homes.[8] Only 4 out of 20 gas turbines, with an individual capacity of 50 MW or higher, are included in the tracker, following Global Energy Monitor's methodology.[9]
Units G17-G20 were to retire in December 2023.[9] According to Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860), released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration in April 2025, units G17-G20 are scheduled to retire in June 2025.[10] As of May 2025, the plant's website mentions that the power plant is going through a period of transformation. Units G1 -G16 have been demolished. Units G17 and G18 are deactivated. Units G19 and G20 are capable of producing 92 MW.
In March 2025, TVA released a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for the proposed Allen Combustion Turbine peaker project at the premises of the Allen Combustion Turbine Plant. The company is proposing to build 6 aeroderivative combustion turbines (CTs) with the total installed capacity of 200 MW. CTs in this configuration are often called “peakers,” and aeroderivative combustion turbines are similar to jet engines. Four of the proposed CTs would have black start capabilities.[11][12]
Allen Combined Cycle Plant
Allen Combined Cycle Plant entered commercial operation in April 2018. It is a two-on-one combined cycle plant with two combustion turbines – the world's largest and most efficient 60-Hertz machines at the time of construction. Each turbine produces approximately 360 MW, while the two heat recovery steam generators gather steam for the 470-MW steam turbine. The plant can power more than 647,000 homes.
Allen is the most advanced and efficient combined cycle facility that TVA owns, boasting advanced control systems and LED lighting. In August 2017, more than 3,000 solar panels became operational to provide just under 1 MW of power to supply the site with renewable energy capacity. Allen also has a 10-MW auxiliary boiler that can run on a blend of biogas and natural gas if supplied.[5]
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 5,733,667 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 17,413 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 13,288 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 180 lb.
The following table gives more info on this plant's SO2 emissions levels, as well as on whatever SO2 emissions "scrubbers" (Flue Gas Desulfurization units, or FGDs) have been installed at the plant. Each of the plant's units is listed separately, and at the bottom overall data for the plant is listed.[13][14]
| Unit # | Year Built | Capacity | MWh Produced (2005) | SO2 Emissions (2005) | SO2 Emissions per MWh (2005) | Average Annual Coal Sulfur Content | FGD Unit Type | FGD In-Service Year | FGD SO2 Removal Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1959 | 330 MW | 1,744,664 MWh | 8,136 tons | 9.33 lb./MWh | 0.49% | none installed | ||
| 2 | 1959 | 330 MW | 1,657,662 MWh | 8,170 tons | 9.86 lb./MWh | 0.48% | none installed | ||
| 3 | 1959 | 330 MW | 1,757,813 MWh | 7,576 tons | 8.62 lb./MWh | 0.46% | none installed | ||
| Total | 990 MW | 5,160,139 MWh | 23,882 tons | 9.26 lb./MWh |
Allen ranked 67th on list of most polluting power plants in terms of coal waste
In January 2009, Sue Sturgis of the Institute of Southern Studies compiled a list of the 100 most polluting coal plants in the United States in terms of coal combustion waste (CCW) stored in surface impoundments like the one involved in the TVA Kingston Fossil Plant coal ash spill.[15] The data came from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) for 2006, the most recent year available.[16]
Allen Fossil Plant ranked number 67 on the list, with 416,705 pounds of coal combustion waste released to surface impoundments in 2006.[15]
Groundwater contamination
In July 2011, tests found coal ash contamination in the groundwater of all but one of the 10 Tennessee Valley Authority plants assessed, including two sites where investigators say the pollution could pose a health hazard. The inspector general’s assessment pointed in particular to the contamination at the Gallatin Fossil Plant and Cumberland Steam Plant in Tennessee. Excessive levels of arsenic and other toxic metals from coal ash were detected at Cumberland, 50 miles northwest of Nashville, while beryllium, cadmium and nickel were discovered at Gallatin.
In addition, the inspector general said that TVA officials for more than 10 years have found indications that toxic metals could be leaking from a coal ash pond at the authority’s Allen Fossil Plant. Arsenic above currently allowable levels was found repeatedly in a monitoring well at the site, which lies above a deep, high-quality aquifer that supplies drinking water to Memphis and nearby areas.
A TVA spokeswoman told the newspaper in an email that, at the time of the testing at Allen, the contamination levels were within limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. However, the inspector general’s report said that arsenic levels exceeded a tighter standard later adopted by the EPA.[17]
Citizen groups
- LEAF - Lindquist Environmental Appalachian Fellowship
- Save Our Cumberland Mountains
- Tennessee Coal Ash Survivors Network
- United Mountain Defense
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (May 2023)". Archived from the original on 2023-09-18. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (November 2019)". Archived from the original on 2020-06-12. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822204651/https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/june_generator2024.xlsx. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/eia860m/xls/november_generator2024.xlsx.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Allen Combined Cycle Plant". TVA. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "TVA announces decision about Memphis' Allen Fossil Plant," Memphis Business Journal, Aug 21, 2014.
- ↑ Herman K. Trabish, "TVA to retire coal plant, choose new natural gas or renewables," Utility Dive, August 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Allen Combustion Turbine Plant". TVA. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860) - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)". www.eia.gov. June 27, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "reliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (based on Form EIA-860M as a supplement to Form EIA-860)". EIA. April 24, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "TVA's Allen Peaker Proposal Ignores Community Harm and Cleaner, Cheaper Alternatives". www.cleanenergy.org. April 29, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "TVA Seeks Public Input on Proposed Aeroderivative CT Units at Allen CT Site". TVA. March 10, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Coal Power Plant Database, National Energy Technology Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy, 2007.
- ↑ EIA-767, Energy Information Administration, 2005.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sue Sturgis, "Coal's ticking timebomb: Could disaster strike a coal ash dump near you?," Institute for Southern Studies, January 4, 2009.
- ↑ TRI Explorer, EPA, accessed January 2009.
- ↑ "Toxic Metals from Coal Ash Found in Groundwater at TVA Power Plants" Fair Warning, July 26, 2011.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datasets, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
