TVA plans power shift in Kentucky as study recommends solar farm for Shawnee coal ash area - Chattanooga Times Free Press

TVA plans power shift in Kentucky as study recommends solar farm for Shawnee coal ash area | Chattanooga Times Free Press

A half century ago, the Tennessee Valley Authority generated most of its power from underground mines. Now, the utility is looking up as it considers plans to convert several coal plant sites into solar farms.

TVA released a preliminary study of the Shawnee Fossil Plant near Paducah, Kentucky, last week that suggests the federal utility could use nearly 309 acres of a covered coal ash area at the Shawnee plant for a solar farm to generate up to 100 megawatts of electricity.

"This proposed solar energy production facility would enhance TVA resources while helping meet energy production needs and meeting potential regulatory requirements," TVA said in a 79-page draft environmental assessment of the proposal.

In November, TVA directors authorized spending $216 million for the nation's first-of-its-kind pilot program to determine if closed coal ash sites are suitable for utility-scale solar projects.