Bredesen tours TVA coal, nuclear plants

The governor toured the Bull Run coal-fired power plant where TVA has begun building a $300 million scrubber system to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions.

The plant, some 30 miles from the often smoggy Great Smoky Mountains National Park, already has selective catalytic reduction systems to reduce ozone-forming nitrogen oxide emissions.

Later the governor took a helicopter flyover of TVA’s wind farm on Buffalo Mountain en route to a visit to TVA’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Chattanooga.

“TVAs significant investment for cleaner air in Tennessee and the region is impressive,” Bredesen said. “The installation of new pollution control technologies at Bull Run is a key step in improving air quality for all Tennesseans.”

TVA Chairman Bill Baxter, Director Skila Harris and President and Chief Operating Officer Tom Kilgore accompanied the governor.

“Increasing nuclear generation, which is emissions-free, and reducing emissions from our coal plants will make our air even cleaner for future generations,” Baxter said.

TVA, the nation’s largest public utility, serves about 8.5 million consumers in Tennessee and parts of Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

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On the Net:

Tennessee Valley Authority: http://www.tva.gov