TVA's Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle Plant Begins Operation

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The first combined cycle natural gas-fueled power plant in the state of Tennessee is officially operating, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced Wednesday.

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The Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle Plant, near Brownsville, Tenn., began commercial operation with a generating capacity of 550 megawatts.

Combined cycle plants use combustion turbines, similar to jet engines, to produce electricity. Heat from the turbines' exhaust is then captured to heat water and produce steam that is sent to a steam turbine that generates additional power. Using the excess heat from the engines reduces the fuel use, and therefore, reduces emissions. 

"The Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle plant supports TVA's vision of leading the nation toward a cleaner energy future," said Bob Deacy, senior vice president of Fossil Generation, Development and Construction, the organization within TVA responsible for the construction project. "The site uses natural gas as a low-carbon fuel source and includes additional equipment to further reduce emissions."

The plant is the first new power generation source constructed by TVA since 2002, when the Kemper Combustion Turbine site was completed. TVA has two other combined cycle plants -- Caledonia and Southaven -- both located in Mississippi.

"Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle Plant has already proven to be a reliable source of power by adding electricity to the TVA system during the testing phase," said Robert Fisher, senior vice president of TVA's Fossil Power Group.  "This plant, along with the simple cycle combustion turbines already operating at the site, will further provide the needed power during days of high electricity demand."

A staff of about 30 TVA employees will manage the plant.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, a corporation owned by the U.S. government, provides electricity for utility and business customers in most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia – an area of 80,000 square miles with a population of 9 million. TVA operates 29 hydroelectric dams, 11 coal-fired power plants, three nuclear plants and 11 natural gas-fired power facilities and supplies up to 33,700 megawatts of electricity, delivered over 16,000 miles of high-voltage power lines. TVA also provides flood control, navigation, land management and recreation for the Tennessee River system and works with local utilities and state and local governments to promote economic development across the region. TVA, which makes no profits and receives no taxpayer money, is funded by sales of electricity to its customers. Electricity prices in TVA's service territory are below the national average.

(Note: A digital photo of the Lagoon Creek Combined Cycle Plant will be included in the web version of this release, available at www.tva.gov/newsroom.)

SOURCE Tennessee Valley Authority