| Lowest Gas Prices in Chattanooga |
| Chattanooga Gas Prices provided by GasBuddy.com |
Average retail gasoline prices in Chattanooga fell by 10.1 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.18 per gallon, according to GasBuddy's daily survey of 170 gas outlets in Chattanooga released Monday. Nationwide, the average price of a gallon of gas fell by a comparable amount but remained higher at an average of $2.42 per gallon.
Chattanooga gas prices are down an average 88 cents from the same time a year ago. GasBuddy.com reports the lowest gas prices Monday in Chattanooga were at Sam's Club on Lee Highway, which was selling regular gas for $1.90 per gallon.
"As Americans take to the road for Christmas travel, they've all been given a gift that keeps on giving: falling gas prices," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy. "Americans are saving over $13 million dollars an hour versus gas prices a year ago, adding up to over $315 million every day. "
Tourism degree added at CSCC
The Tennessee Board of Regents has approved a new degree program at Chattanooga State Community College to help supply managers for the growing $1 billion-a-year tourism and hospitality industry in Chattanooga.
The Business and Information Technologies Division at Chattanooga State will add the Associate of Applied Science degree program to its Spring 2015 semester lineup. The 60-credit hour Hospitality Management program includes concentrations in Culinary Arts, Food & Beverage Management, Hotel Management, and Tourism.
The new degree is designed with a strong emphasis on applied skills. Students are exposed to various sectors within the field through a curriculum that includes practical application, theory, case studies, group projects, and internships, which will assist students in determining their career paths upon graduation. Graduates will be positioned for opportunities leading towards management positions through their degree and with experience gained in the industry.
TVA relocates generator stator
The holiday tradition of gift giving came a bit early this year for the Tennessee Valley Authority's Kingston Fossil Plant due to the generosity of a sister TVA plant in Shawnee, Ky. Although it wasn't Santa performing the delivery, TVA officials said the 200-ton generator stator still made a significant., long-distance journey.
During a maintenance outage at Kingston Unit 1, the existing stator the stationary component of an electric generator was determined to be beyond repair. Designed and built more than 50 years ago, modern replacement components aren't available, so the Kingston team was looking at the possibility of a complete generator replacement.
The solution came from a "gift" from TVA's Shawnee fossil plant, where the Unit 10 power generator was retired four years ago. The idled unit at Shawnee had the same Siemens-Westinghouse generator as Kingston, and it was still in operating condition.
"Such equipment swaps have been done in the industry before but it's rare and this is the first time TVA has moved a generator from one plant to another," said Ken Lewis, a retired maintenance and engineering manager who returned to lead the project.
Too large to easily transport by road, the stator was placed on a barge and transported through the Ohio and Tennessee River systems. An unexpected closure of the Chickamauga Lock threatened to derail the journey, but the Corps of Engineers and numerous TVA organizations pitched in to ensure that the lock was quickly repaired and the stator safely completed its trip.
With the relocated generator stator in place, the Kingston is now producing up to 140 megawatts of power in time for winter's higher electricity demands.