Colbert Fossil Plant
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Colbert Fossil Plant is an operating power station of at least 1230-megawatts (MW) in Tuscumbia, Colbert, Alabama, United States with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Colbert Fossil Plant | Tuscumbia, Colbert, Alabama, United States | 34.744242, -87.848467 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5: 34.744242, -87.848467
- Unit 10, Unit 11, Unit 9, Unit GT1, Unit GT2, Unit GT3, Unit GT4, Unit GT5, Unit GT6, Unit GT7, Unit GT8: 34.7439, -87.8486
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | CHP | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | retired | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | – | 1955 | 2016 |
| Unit 10 | operating[1][2] | gas[1] | 250[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[3] | 2023[1][4] | – |
| Unit 11 | operating[1][5] | gas[1] | 250[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[3] | 2023[1][4] | – |
| Unit 2 | retired | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | – | 1955 | 2016 |
| Unit 3 | retired | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | – | 1955 | 2016 |
| Unit 4 | retired | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | – | 1955 | 2016 |
| Unit 5 | retired | coal - bituminous | 550 | subcritical | – | 1965 | 2015 |
| Unit 9 | operating[1][6] | gas[1] | 250[1] | gas turbine[1] | no[3] | 2023[1][4] | – |
| Unit GT1 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT2 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT3 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT4 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT5 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT6 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT7 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
| Unit GT8 | operating[3] | gas, fuel oil[7] | 60[8] | gas turbine[3] | no[3] | 1972[3] | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 10 | Tennessee Valley Authority[1] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 11 | Tennessee Valley Authority[1] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 3 | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 4 | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 5 | Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) [100.0%] | – |
| Unit 9 | Tennessee Valley Authority[1] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT1 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT2 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT3 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT4 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT5 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT6 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT7 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
| Unit GT8 | Tennessee Valley Authority[9] | Tennessee Valley Authority [100.0%] |
Background
The power plant retired its coal-fired units in 2016 and remains a gas-fired power plant since then.[10]
The Colbert power station had five coal-fired generating units and "net dependable generating capacity" of approximately 1,198 megawatts. TVA stated that "the plant consumes some 7,200 tons of coal a day." Construction of the Colbert power station commenced in 1951 and was commissioned in 1973. According to the TVA the "plant consumes about 8,900 tons of coal a day."[11]
November 2013: TVA announces plans to retire all units of Colbert
November 14 2013, TVA announced that it will retire all five units of the Colbert plant. The closure date was not specified. TVA also announced retirements at the Widows Creek Fossil Plant and the Paradise Fossil Plant.[12][13]
In July 2013 TVA announced plans to idle or remove from service units 1-4 starting June 30, 2016. The plans are the result of a 2011 Consent Decree arising out of consolidated litigation brought by several states and environmental groups for violations of the Clean Air Act. Under the decree, TVA was required to notify EPA of its plan for controlling air pollution at units 1-4 by June 30, 2013. Rather than installing new equipment, TVA opted to idle or retire the plants. According to the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, unit 5 of the plant, which operated at only 15% of capacity in 2012, appeared also to be heading toward retirement.[14]
On March 23, 2016, the coal-fired power plant's last unit went offline. The other units were shut down over the previous few weeks. The plant was retired early as the system demand dropped and the coal on site was depleted.[15]
Gas-Fired Generation
In 2021, combustion turbine Units 1-20 located on the TVA’s Allen Reservation in Memphis, Tennessee, and Units 1-16 located on TVA’s Johnsonville Reservation in New Johnsonville, Tennessee (total of 1,400 MW capacity) were recommended for retirement and replacement. To provide the required capacity resulting from replacement of these units, TVA proposed the addition of 1,500 MW to be split between Paradise and Colbert power stations for commercial operation no later than December 31, 2023.[16] The construction began in 2021. When completed, three GE model 7F.05 combustion turbine generators, each with a generation capacity of about 250 MW for a combined 750 MW of power, will be added to the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant (Colbert Fossil Plant)[17]. The plant is expected to begin operation by January 2024[18].
Emissions Data
- 2006 CO2 Emissions: 8,312,926 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions: 39,942 tons
- 2006 SO2 Emissions per MWh:
- 2006 NOx Emissions: 14,728 tons
- 2005 Mercury Emissions: 220 lb.
Lawsuit
In February 2013, a coalition of environmental groups announced plans to file a lawsuit against TVA alleging that coal ash ponds at the Colbert plant are seeping arsenic, lead, selenium, cadmium, and other toxic heavy metals in to the groundwater below the ponds, and into Cane Creek and the Tennessee River. The groups say sampling around the Colbert plant has found arsenic levels 50 times higher than the state's maximum contaminant level, and that the ash ponds have been leaking pollutants into the surrounding waters for 30 years. TVA said it was reviewing the document.[19]
"High Hazard" Surface Impoundment
In July 2009, TVA reclassified the surface impoundment at Colbert as having High Hazard Potential. The rating applies to sites at which a dam failure would most likely cause loss of human life, but does not assess of the likelihood of such an event. TVA had originally ranked all of its sites as "low" risk, but revised those rankings two weeks after the EPA released its list of 44 "high hazard" coal ash dumps.[20]
Study finds dangerous level of hexavalent chromium at Colbert Plant waste site
A report released by EarthJustice and the Sierra Club in early February 2011 stated that there are many health threats associated with a toxic cancer-causing chemical found in coal ash waste called hexavalent chromium. The report specifically cited 29 sites in 17 states where the contamination was found. The information was gathered from existing EPA data on coal ash and included locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Massachusetts, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virgina and Wisconsin. In Alabama, the TVA Colbert Fossil Plant in Tuscambia and the TVA Widows Creek Fossil Plant in Stevenson were both reported as having high levels of chromium seeping from unlined retention ponds.[21]
According to EPA data, the TVA Colbert Fossil Fuel Plant's coal ash site is unlined. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) was reported at the site above 100 ppb (parts per billion) - 5,000 times the proposed California drinking water goals and above the federal drinking water standard.[21]
As a press release about the report read:
- Hexavalent chromium first made headlines after Erin Brockovich sued Pacific Gas & Electric because of poisoned drinking water from hexavalent chromium. Now new information indicates that the chemical has readily leaked from coal ash sites across the U.S. This is likely the tip of the iceberg because most coal ash dump sites are not adequately monitored.[22]
Citizen Groups
See also Alabama and coal
- Black Warrior Riverkeeper
- GASP (formerly Alabama First)
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 (PDF) https://web.archive.org/web/20220709070647/https://tva-azr-eastus-cdn-ep-tvawcm-prd.azureedge.net/cdn-tvawcma/docs/default-source/environment/environmental-stewardship/nepa-environmental-reviews/tva-pct-cct-draft-ea_012721.pdf?sfvrsn=8a812944_3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 09 July 2022.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|archive-date=(help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ USEIANov2023 https://issuu.com/alabamaliving/docs/june_2023_cullman.018/s/25391219. USEIANov2023.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 3.33 3.34 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (November 2019)". Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8txcetSaAsUSEIANov2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://issuu.com/alabamaliving/docs/june_2023_cullman.018/s/25391220USEIANov2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ https://issuu.com/alabamaliving/docs/june_2023_cullman.018/s/25391221USEIANov2023.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (July 2021)". Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory (May 2023)". Archived from the original on September 18, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 "U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-860 detailed data with previous form data (EIA-860A/860B), 2018". Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ↑ "Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory" eia.gov, 860m March 2020
- ↑ Tennessee Valley Authority, "Colbert Fossil Plant", Tennessee Valley Authority website, accessed June 2008.
- ↑ Paul Gattis, "TVA to cut more than 150 employees at two north Alabama plants," All Alabama, November 14, 2013
- ↑ Steven Mufson, "Tennessee Valley Authority to close 8 coal-fired power plants," Washington Post, November 14, 2013
- ↑ Angela Garrone, "TVA announces plans to idle Colbert Coal Plant units," Southern Alliance for Clean Energy blog, July 8, 2013
- ↑ "TVA's Colbert plant ends power production," Decatur Daily, March 24, 2016
- ↑ "Paradise and Colbert Combustion Plants - Draft Environmental Assessment" (PDF). Tennessee Valley Authority. February 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Nearing the finish line with the expansion of Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant". ISSUU. June 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "TVA Gas Power Plant Set to Open in January 2024". WHNT News 19. May 12, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ Ben Raines, "Suit alleges TVA Colbert plant in violation of Clean Water Act," al.com, Feb. 13, 2013.
- ↑ Coal waste
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 "EPA’s Blind Spot: Hexavalent Chromium in Coal Ash" Earthjustice & Sierra Club, February 1, 2011.
- ↑ "Coal ash waste tied to cancer-causing chemicals in water supplies" Alicia Bayer, Examiner.com, February 1, 2011.
Additional data
To access additional data, including interactive maps of the power stations, downloadable datases, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker and the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
