Hopkinsville hosts TVA Board as they vote to continue coal operations at Cumberland, Kingston plants

The James E. Bruce Convention Center played host to the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors Tuesday and Wednesday, with their first full quorum in months at meeting Wednesday morning.

Western Kentucky and the TVA are not strangers, as the largest public power provider in the United States as power plants all across the region, and has operated since 1933. They currently serve 10 million people across seven states, dubbed “the Valley”, and they chose Hopkinsville to play host to the first Board of Directors meeting since gaining a quorum for the first time in 10 months.

And it was a big meeting, as the Board voted to allow for continued operations at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee, and at the Cumberland Fossil Plant located along the banks of Barkley Lake in Stewart County, Tennessee. Lyon County Native and TVA board member Wade White says coal remains a vital resource for the TVA and the region, and he considers this a wise move.

This move would keep the 3,000-megawatts generated by those plants as part of the TVA power fleet, with Chief Financial Officer Tom Rice saying they intend to keep those plants operating for as long as they can.

With increased power demand due to the ever-growing region, including new industries, data centers and residents moving into the area, TVA President and CEO Don Moul tells WHOP News that 3,000-megawatts is much needed.

He says coal is one of the many backbones of the TVA, and during Winter Storm Fern recently, coal generation increased 31 percent, accounting for 21 percent of U.S. power output. TVA’s coal fleet accounted for 14 percent of the region’s power during peak demand on January 27.

Moul says things have changed a lot since the decision in 2019 to cease operations at those plants, not just federal administrations, but it also aligns with their cost saving plans.

The Board also voted to remove any Diversity, Equity and Inclusion measures from the language of their mission plan and other personnel documentation, which Moul says is to be in compliance with edicts handed down by the federal government.

The Board also heard from nearly 60 individuals during a listening session on Tuesday, where they heard from the public on their concerns about AI data centers, the impacts of coal production and nuclear generation, the cost of energy and much more.