Well over half of the electricity used by homes and businesses in the Tennessee Valley region comes from burning coal. This roughly mirrors the national use of coal, a plentiful domestic energy source that has fueled our economy and our way of life for many years.
Meeting the environmental challenges of a fuel that generates such a large portion of our electricity is a priority for TVA. Like all electric utilities, whether public or private, we are responsible for meeting electricity demand as reliably and economically as possible in the public interest.
The national campaign to dismiss the potential of "clean coal" technology fails to credit the substantial progress that has been made in reducing fossil fuel emissions and the continuing research to further minimize the environmental impacts of an important national energy source.
Data compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency show that air quality has improved steadily during the past three decades since national standards were established by the Clean Air Act in 1970. The standards have become more stringent, and the investments required to meet cleaner air standards have increased.
During this time, TVA has invested more than $5 billion in emissions control equipment at our plants across the valley and will install an additional $400 million worth of controls by the end of 2010. Complying with interstate emission rules now under discussion could require an additional $3 billion investment in coming years. These costs become part of the price we all pay for electricity.
Installing emission controls, along with other measures such as switching to cleaner types of coal, has reduced TVA-regulated emissions by more than 80 percent since the late 1970s, and we are installing additional equipment that should improve the overall reduction to 90 percent.
Along with air emissions, the other major environmental challenge posed for most utilities that use coal is managing waste byproducts -- primarily ash and gypsum. The issue was brought to the forefront last December by the coal ash spill at TVA's Kingston Fossil Plant.
Much has been written about the spill and its aftermath, but less well known by the public is the progress we are making cleaning it up. One-third of the ash that was spilled in the river has already been removed, and TVA expects to have substantially removed all the ash from the river by next spring. We have worked diligently to suppress dust as we accomplish this work. Our joint air quality-monitoring program with EPA and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation -- perhaps the largest effort of its kind in North America -- shows we are keeping air quality within national standards. Further, the re-vegetation and contouring we are performing are dramatically changing the appearance of the area around Kingston. Excellent aerial views comparing the site immediately after the spill with conditions today can be found at http://152.85.42.31/progress.wmv.
We are keenly aware of -- and sincerely regret -- the impact this accident has had on the people near Kingston, and we are trying to help the community recover. In addition to relocating residents and buying property from those directly affected, we recently agreed to provide $43 million in economic development funding. As a precautionary measure, we are also providing free independent medical screenings for local residents who have health concerns.
In response to the impoundment failure at Kingston, TVA is using internationally recognized engineering expertise to establish a comprehensive evaluation, inspection and maintenance program to ensure the long-term integrity and operation of all our ash handling and storage facilities.
Actions are also under way to close all TVA wet storage impoundments and establish dry storage facilities for all coal byproducts materials to
eliminate the possibility of another wet storage failure. TVA is taking these steps to achieve the safest coal waste management program in the industry.
The investments in emission controls and coal byproduct waste management are necessary to maintain a reliable power supply while we pursue a strategy to reduce our carbon footprint. We will accomplish that by adding more renewable energy and nuclear power and developing a robust and effective energy efficiency program, so that we are required to generate less electricity than would otherwise be needed.
Currently, more than 30 percent of TVA's generation comes from zero or near-zero carbon-emitting fuels, such as nuclear and hydro power, along with a small but growing amount of renewable energy from wind, solar and methane gas. Negotiations are under way with renewable energy suppliers to add up to 2,000 megawatts or more of renewable energy, mostly wind power, as it becomes available during the next two to three years.
The addition of more renewable energy, the completion of a second nuclear unit at the Watts Bar Nuclear Plant in 2013 and the possible addition of future nuclear units at the Bellefonte site in North Alabama support TVA's move toward having at least 50 percent of its power supply provided by zero or near-zero carbon-emitting sources by 2020.
While TVA works to incorporate less carbon-emitting energy into its power supply, we are also working with state and federal officials to develop cost-effective energy efficiency incentives that encourage consumers to be wiser and more frugal about energy use. This will help people keep their energy expenses to a minimum and slow the need for costly investments in new generating plants.
The collective progress toward developing a larger supply of cleaner energy will certainly benefit air quality and reduce the amount of coal byproducts that have to be managed. Every day, the supply of reliable, affordable electric energy that supports our jobs, our standard of living and our way of life in the valley is there when we flip on the switch. It is unrealistic to expect this just to happen without the effort required to manage the sources of this energy. It happens because TVA and the power distributors work hard to make sure electricity is available -- 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It is realistic and important for all of us at TVA to continue to pursue a cleaner energy strategy for the future while responsibly managing the environmental challenges of a reliable energy source that we all depend upon today.
Bill McCollum is chief operating officer for TVA. Readers may submit feedback at tvainfo@tva.gov.
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