Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant

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.

Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
Aerial photograph of the now-demolished Colbert Fossil Plant. The new gas power plant on the left.
Map
Location of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
CountryUnited States
Location307 Gas Turbine Road
Tuscumbia, Alabama
Coordinates34°44′27″N 87°50′56″W / 34.74083°N 87.84889°W / 34.74083; -87.84889
StatusOperational
Commission dateCoal units[1]
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
Construction costCoal units
$99,104,091[1] (equivalent to $879,990,000 in 2023)
OwnerTennessee Valley Authority
OperatorTennessee Valley Authority
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Power generation
Nameplate capacity392 MWe

History

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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.[2] Unit 2 began operation on March 1, 1955, Unit 3 on July 29, 1955, and Unit 4 on November 4, 1955.[1] 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

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References

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