Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant Explained

Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
Location Map Caption:Location of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
Country:United States
Location:307 Gas Turbine Road
Tuscumbia, Alabama
Coordinates:34.7408°N -87.8489°W
Owner:Tennessee Valley Authority
Operator:Tennessee Valley Authority
Status:O
Th Fuel Primary:Natural gas
Ps Electrical Capacity:392 MWe
Commissioned:Coal units
Unit 1: January 18, 1955
Unit 2: March 1, 1955
Unit 3: July 29, 1955
November 4, 1955
Natural gas units
Units 1-8: 1972
Cost:Coal units
$99,104,091

The Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant is a combustion turbine natural gas-fired power plant operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) near Tuscumbia, Alabama. Commissioned in 1972, it is currently the oldest gas-fired power plant operated by TVA. The site was formerly home to the Colbert Fossil Plant, a coal-fired power station which operated from 1955 to 2016.

History

Work began on the Colbert Fossil Plant, then known as the Colbert Steam Plant, on October 15, 1951. The first unit began operation on January 18, 1955.[1] Unit 2 began operation on March 1, 1955, Unit 3 on July 29, 1955, and Unit 4 on November 4, 1955.[2] Each of these units had a capacity of 200 megawatts. A fifth unit began operation in 1965. The combustion turbine units were added in 1972, making them the first natural-gas units in the TVA system.[3]

The TVA board voted to close the coal-fired units at Colbert on November 14, 2013.[4] Units 1 through 4 were retired in March 2016, with the last unit being idled on March 23, 2016.[5] The coal plant was demolished on August 25, 2021.[6]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: TVA Exceeds 7 Million KW Power Mark . September 1, 2021 . The Knoxville Journal . January 19, 1955 . 8 . Newspapers.com.
  2. 1963. The Colbert Steam Plant: A Report on the Planning, Design, Construction, Costs, and First Power Operations of the Initial Four-Unit Plant. Tennessee Valley Authority. 35. 2021-09-01. Google Books.
  3. News: Sherer. Dennis. February 3, 2003. Fossil plants backbone of system. TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama. 2019-02-01.
  4. News: Mufson . Steven . Tennessee Valley Authority to close 8 coal-fired power plants . September 1, 2021 . The Washington Post . November 14, 2013.
  5. News: Colbert Fossil Plant Ends 61 Years of Electrical Generation . September 1, 2021 . The Quad-Cities Daily . March 24, 2016 . Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
  6. News: Old Alabama fossil plant's smokestacks toppled by dynamite . September 1, 2021 . Associated Press News . August 25, 2021.