Bull Run Fossil Rated Most Efficient in Nation, Has Record Run
December 21, 2005
OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — TVA’s Bull Run Fossil Plant earned a top ranking by Electric Light and Power magazine for energy efficiency among the nation’s coal-fired power plants and recently completed 189 days of continuous operation—a plant record.
“Achieving top national ranking, and following that with a record-breaking run, is an outstanding example of how TVA can lead the industry in operational performance,” TVA President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Kilgore said. “I appreciate the work and commitment by Bull Run employees to consistently rank among the best in the nation.”
The single-unit plant with a capacity of 870 megawatts is located near Oak Ridge, Tenn. It has ranked among the nation’s top 10 most efficient plants by Electric Light and Power in every year’s report since 1996.
During the record run from May through November, the plant generated about 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity—enough to supply about 260,000 homes in the Tennessee Valley for a year.
The utility industry magazine annually ranks the top 20 generating units by various criteria. In the November/December 2005 edition covering calendar year 2004 performance, Bull Run Fossil Plant earned top honors for heat rate—a measure of the efficiency with which a plant turns fuel energy into electric energy.
Other TVA power plants also achieved top 20 rankings by Electric Light and Power. Paradise Fossil Plant ranked 19th in efficiency. Sequoyah and Browns Ferry nuclear plants each produced more than 18 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, ranking them 10th and 13th, respectively, in total generation among the nation’s nuclear plants.
Cumberland Fossil Plant also generated about the same amount of power (18 billion kWhrs), ranking seventh among U.S. coal-fired plants. Watts Bar Nuclear Plant earned a fifth-place ranking for achieving a 98.6-percent capacity factor. TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self- financed.
TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve approximately 8.6 million consumers in seven southeastern states.
Media Contact
Gil Francis, (865) 632-8031
TVA News Bureau, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000
