TVA is planning for the continued operation of Shawnee Fossil Plant in West Paducah, Kentucky, with the construction of a new onsite dry storage area for coal ash and other coal combustion residuals at the plant.
The nine coal-fired units at Shawnee produce coal ash, which is stored in a special dry landfill and in a wet impoundment. CCR production at the plant will increase with the addition of emissions controls on two units by the end of 2017. It is expected that the existing landfill will reach capacity within the next 10 years.
After considering various options as part of an Environmental Impact Statement, TVA is proposing to build and operate a new CCR landfill onsite that will add another 20 years of storage capacity. This option, detailed in Alternative B of the final Environmental Impact Statement, avoids increased traffic and safety risks associated with offsite transport of CCR. The new landfill will meet all state and federal CCR regulations.
As part of the conversion to dry storage at Shawnee, TVA also proposes to close the wet impoundment in place by dewatering and installing a cover system that prevents rainfall from getting into the ash.
The evaluation of alternatives incorporated findings from a 2016 Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, which considered options for closing CCR impoundments at TVA fossil plants across the system.
A draft EIS was published in June and included a public comment period with an informational open house. Public input was incorporated into the final document. Though the final EIS identified Alternative B as the preferred option, TVA leadership will take at least 30 days to review the study before making a determination and moving forward. That decision will we described in a formal Record of Decision. The ROD will be released in early 2018 and posted on TVA’s website.
