NASHVILLE, TN– The country’s largest public utility said it now prefers to continue operating two coal-fired power plants it had planned to close, and changed course before a meeting of its board of directors, which includes a majority of members chosen by the board. The coal-friendly Trump administration.
In new filings, the Tennessee Valley Authority indicated it wants to eliminate closure dates for the Kingston Fossil Plant and Cumberland Fossil Plant in Tennessee, which would require further action from its board. The new plan will still include the construction of natural gas stations at both sites.
TVA had intended to close its remaining coal plants by 2035 in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change. But the company, which partners with local energy companies to serve nearly 10 million people in seven states, said it is rethinking the closure of coal plants due to regulatory changes and increased demand for electricity.
“As demand for energy grows, TVA is looking at every option to enhance our generating fleet to continue providing reliable, affordable electricity to our 10 million customers, creating jobs and helping communities thrive,” Brooks said in a statement Tuesday.
But several clean energy groups said expanding coal plants would raise serious questions about TVA’s decision-making process, as utilities have said more natural gas plants are needed to stop polluting coal plants.
“Even without a public meeting, TVA is telling people who live near these coal plants that they will be breathing toxic pollution from not one, but two major power plants for the foreseeable future,” Gabe Lichtenstein, Tennessee Appalachian Voices program coordinator, said in a press release. “This decision rubs salt in the wound after ignoring widespread calls for cleaner and cheaper alternatives to coal plants in Kingston and Cumberland.”
President Donald Trump fired enough TVA board members handpicked by his predecessor to leave the facility without a quorum. Without it, the Board can only take actions necessary for ongoing operations, not jump into new areas of activity, start new programs or change the current direction of the facility.
Trump then signed executive orders aimed at helping the coal industry. Last May, TVA President and CEO Don Moll told investors that the utility would reevaluate the lifespan of its coal plants, saying officials were evaluating Trump’s executive orders.
The US Senate confirmed four Trump board nominees in December. With a quorum restored, the TVA Board of Directors is scheduled to meet Wednesday in Kentucky.
TVA has already faced criticism from advocates for planning the opening More natural gas stations Utilities have been reducing their fleet of coal plants, rather than moving more quickly away from fossil fuels and toward solar and other renewable energy sources.
TVA’s goal for years has been to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels, and net zero emissions by 2050, with a heavy focus on nuclear power and hopes for next-generation reactors. Biden went further, calling for a carbon-pollution-free energy sector by 2035.
Clean energy groups have noted that the rapid construction of AI-enabled data centers is partly to blame for the growing energy demand. In a call to investors last week, TVA President and CEO Don Mall The company said demand for data centers rose to 18% of its industrial load in 2025, and by 2030, the company expects it to double throughout its service area. Fairness of the new pay rates for data centers is a priority for TVA, Moll said.
Under the 2024 final decision, TVA plans to construct a 1,500-megawatt natural gas facility with 4 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of battery storage at the Kingston Fossil Plant, a 2,470-megawatt coal plant completed in 1955, and a massive site. 2008 coal ash spill. The coal plant was scheduled to be closed and the gas plant to start operating by the end of 2027.
The new proposal would keep coal, gas and batteries, but abandon solar power.
In a 2023 decision, TVA planned to retire the two-unit Cumberland coal plant in two phases — the first by the end of 2026, to be replaced this year by a 1,450-megawatt natural gas plant; The second, it will close by the end of 2028, with options open to replace it. The 2,470-MW Cumberland coal plant, completed in 1973, is the largest power generation asset in TVA’s fleet.
Trump came into conflict with the TVA during his first term, including when he took office He opposed the closure of the coal plant. Ultimately, in 2019, the board voted to close the Paradise Fossil Plant in Kentucky. Its last tower was demolished in 2024.
In 2020, Trump Former TVA Chairman fired and another board member and pushed TVA to reverse course on hiring foreign workers for IT jobs. He also criticized the CEO’s pay scale at the time, which was $7.3 million for the 2020 budget year and exceeded $10.5 million for 2024. TVA stressed that it does not receive federal taxpayer money and is instead funded by electric customers, and that CEO pay fell in the bottom quartile of the energy industry.