TVA’s Gallatin Plant and the Potential for a Spill

January 7, 2009, GALLATIN – With the recent environmental spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Kingston Fossil Fuel Plant, the Sumner County Emergency Management Agency and TVA officials at the Gallatin Fossil Fuel Plant organized a briefing today for local officials and provided an overview of the Plant.  Members of Congressman Bart Gordon’s staff attended the briefing and toured the facility.

“I am happy that TVA organized this briefing,” said Congressman Gordon, who was unable to attend due to official legislative business in Congress. “Following the briefing, it was conveyed to me that the situation at the plant in Gallatin is much different from the plant in Kingston – the possibility of a disaster is significantly less likely.”

The Kingston Plant produces 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, but the facility sits on around 150 acres of land.  In contrast, the Gallatin Plant produces 4.7 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and sits on 2,000 acres of land.

“Another difference between the plants is the retention ponds, which hold the potentially hazardous waste produced by the facilities,” Gordon said. “In Kingston the ponds are smaller and taller – 65 feet in height – which puts more pressure on the container walls.  In Gallatin, however, there are more ponds, which are both larger and only 25 feet in height.”

The Gallatin Plant has a total of 5 retention ponds – one as large as 94 acres, which is close to two-thirds the size of the entire Kingston facility.  The Gallatin facility also produces less of potentially hazardous coal ash than the Kingston Plant.

Tomorrow (Jan. 8), Gordon will attend a TVA Congressional briefing in Washington on the Kingston spill.  In doing so, he will ask questions about the Gallatin Power Plant and continue to ensure that a similar spill is highly unlikely.