The Tennessee Valley Authority’s last operating coal-fired unit at Paradise Fossil Plant in Muhlenberg County has officially ceased operations, ending more than 50 years of providing electricity to the region.
TVA Retiree Jim Chappell opened the breaker to separate Paradise Unit 3 from the grid for the final time on Saturday, according to a news release. Chappell was the electrical control wing operator who originally placed Unit 3 in service 50 years ago.
Paradise Unit 3 began operation in 1970, with a net generating capacity of 1,080 megawatts, generating enough electricity to supply more than 800,000 average homes.
Following much debate and controversy, the TVA Board of Directors voted last year to retire the unit. The other two coal-fired units at Paradise were retired in 2017.
The coal-burning Unit 3 was replaced with a combined-cycle natural gas plant with a baseload capacity of 1,025 megawatts, which began operation next to the fossil plant site in 2017.
TVA has been working with the approximately 110 employees at Paradise Unit 3 to find other positions within the fleet or to retire. Some will remain at the site over the next two years as a transition team.
Officials say TVA will work with the local community to determine any potential future uses for the former fossil site.