‘Engine for this area’ - TVA details proposed $5 billion hydro power project in Alabama
A multibillion-dollar hydroelectric project that would reshape a mountaintop in northeastern Alabama found a receptive audience Thursday night – including from two residents who stand to lose property under the plan.
The Tennessee Valley Authority is considering spending up to $5 billion on a “pumped storage hydropower” facility near Pisgah, which would bolster the utility during times of strain on its electrical grid. At a community meeting at Pisgah High School, officials outlined steps in the decadelong project, which drew a round of applause from hundreds of attendees at its conclusion.
Among them was Lynde Wheeler, who said she has lived on the same county road on Sand Mountain her entire life – which would be covered by a reservoir under the TVA’s proposal. Wheeler said she feels as though the TVA has been truthful with her, and at this point, she supports the plan.
“To enjoy growth in an area, you sometimes have to make sacrifices,” she said. “Ultimately, to reap the benefits of parks and jobs and getting more opportunity to be a destination for people to recognize the beauty of our county, I believe it would be a positive impact.”
Lifelong resident Robert Smith said he was initially concerned when he heard the TVA’s plan, which would wipe out his home of 10 years.
Despite that, “I think it would be an engine for this area, jobs, tourism,” he said. “It’d be difficult for a little while, but my wife and I, we can make it.”
TVA spokesman Scott Fiedler said about 10 properties would be impacted under the current plan.
The TVA – the federal utility that sells power to millions of people in north Alabama and parts of six other southeastern states -could place its pumped-storage hydro facility in one of two places in Jackson County: Rorex Creek near Pisgah or Widows Creek near Fabius.
A rendering of a planned Pumped Storage Hydropower facility at Rorex Creek near Pisgah, Ala. The pumps and turbines would be located underground. (Rendering courtesy Tennessee Valley Authority)Tennessee Valley Authority
The former is the TVA’s preferred location, according to its draft Environmental Impact Statement. The latter is near the never-completed Bellefonte nuclear plant. Alternatively, the utility could choose to expand its existing Raccoon Mountain pumped-storage hydro facility in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Both northeast Alabama options would generate up to 1,600 megawatts of energy, while expanding the Tennessee facility would add about 800 megawatts, according to TVA.
The facility would be designed with underground pumps that fill a reservoir at a higher elevation when electrical demand is low, then hold it there until demand is high.
When power demand is high, the water would then be pumped down through turbines — generating power for the grid — on its way back to the Tennessee River.
Scottie Barrentine, project director for the TVA, likened the project to “a large water battery” that is “valuable or balancing the load on the grid.” Hydro storage is a fast and reliable way, he said, to add additional electrical capacity compared with nuclear, coal or gas plants, which are most efficient when they run at a steady rate.
The Raccoon Mountain facility in Tennessee has been operating since it opened in 1978.
“We know how to run pumped storage, and it works,” Barrentine said.
Over eight to 10 years, TVA would construct a ring dyke for a 400 acre reservoir atop Sand Mountain. The powerhouse, pipes and generators would be underground.
“Once in operation this site is very quiet,” Barrentine said. “About all you’d see is a reservoir going up and down every day.”
TVA expects the project would bring in about 1,000 temporary construction jobs and then about 60 permanent jobs. Building it would inject up to $700 million into the local economy, Barrentine said, and another $700 million over the next 20 years of operation.
It would include a second bridge over the Tennessee River for the Pisgah community, and recreational opportunities like biking and hiking trails, and improved river access.
A decision would be made over the next two years, by 2027. Design and construction would likely take another 10 years. The TVA is currently taking comments on its draft Environmental Impact Statement. Comments must be submitted or postmarked by July 14.
State Rep. Mike Kirkland, whose District 23 includes all of Jackson County, said he has mostly heard support for the project.
“People here are looking at the investment by TVA – not to mention the recreational opportunities and the infrastructure, it’s a win-win for the community,” he said. “There’s no smokestack, there’s no radiation, you can’t beat this with a stick.”