Kingston Fossil Plant

Kingston Fossil Plant is located on Watts Bar Reservoir on the Tennessee River near Kingston, Tennessee. At the time it was finished in 1955, Kingston was the largest coal-burning power plant in the world, a distinction it held for more than a decade.

Balancing efficient power production with environmental protection

Electricity is produced at each of Kingston’s nine coal-fired units by the process of heating water in a boiler to produce steam. Under extremely high pressure, the steam flows into a turbine that spins a generator to make electricity.

Kingston generates about 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply more than 700,000 homes. By 2010, TVA will have spent about $6 billion on emissions controls at its fossil-fuel plants to ensure that this power supply is generated as cleanly as possible, consistent with efficiency.

To reduce sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions, all nine units use a blend of low-sulfur coal. Scrubbers are being added to the units to further reduce SO₂. This project will be completed in fiscal year 2010 at a cost of about $500 million. To reduce nitrogen oxides (NO_X), all nine units operate with selective catalytic reduction systems, which reduce ozone-season NO_X emissions by 90 percent. In addition, Units 1 through 4 and Unit 9 use combustion controls and boiler optimization. Units 5 through 8 use low-NO_X burners. View more information about emissions at Kingston and the steps TVA is taking to control them.

 

Toxics Release Inventory

TVA is required to report annually to the Environmental Protection Agency on the amounts of chemicals released by its fossil-fuel plants. Check here for the latest data on Kingston.

Emissions Data

TVA monitors other emissions at its fossil plants, including SO₂, NO_X, CO₂, and mercury. Check here for the latest data on Kingston.