Fossil-Fuel Generation
Eleven operating fossil plants, all of which use coal as fuel, generate the majority of power produced by TVA. When necessary to meet peak demands for electricity, TVA also runs combustion turbines at six sites in the Tennessee Valley. These turbines burn fuel oil or natural gas. Learn more about TVA’s fossil plant operations.
How a coal-fired power plant works
Electricity is produced at a coal-fired fossil plant by the process of heating water in a boiler to produce steam. The steam, under tremendous pressure, flows into a turbine, which spins a generator to produce electricity.
At the Kingston Fossil Plant near Knoxville, Tennessee, for example, each boiler heats the water to about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (540 degrees Celsius) to create steam. The steam is sent into the turbines at pressures of more than 1,800 pounds per square inch (130 kilograms per square centimeter).
This one plant generates about 10 billion kilowatt-hours a year, or enough electricity to supply 700,000 homes. To meet this demand, Kingston burns about 14,000 tons of coal a day, an amount that would fill 140 railroad cars.
Coal-Fired Power Plant Diagram
How a combustion turbine works
Combustion turbines can run on natural gas or low-sulfur fuel oil and are designed to start quickly to meet the demand for electricity during peak operating periods. The turbines operate on the same general principle as a jet engine. Air enters at the front of the unit and is compressed, mixed with natural gas or oil, and ignited. The hot gas then expands through turbine blades to turn the generator and produce electricity.
Fossil-plant maintenance
Routine maintenance is the key to reliable operation of a generating unit.
Routine Maintenance of Electric Generating Stations (PDF, 596 kb)
Report on TVA’s maintenance procedures on fossil-fuel plants, including case studies of specific projects.
Impacts of EPA’s Reinterpretation of New Source Review Requirements (PDF, 53 kb)
Power Plant Maintenance Program (PDF, 1.1 Mb)
Download a color brochure about TVA’s fossil plants that explains how they work and includes data on each plant (PDF file, 437 kb).
Find information on all the plants in the TVA generating system via our interactive map.