The Tennessee Valley Authority cut smog-causing emissions from its coal-fired power plants at a faster rate than most U.S. utilities, according to a new federal study.
TVA said today that its emissions of sulfur dioxide dropped by 82 percent from 1990 to 2009, compared with a 64 percent drop in such emissions nationwide.
TVA spokesman Scott Brooks said a new EPA study shows emissions of nitrogen oxides from TVA coal plants fell by nearly 86 percent from 1980 to 2009, compared with a 77 percent drop in such emissions among all utilities.
“TVA has spent more than $5 billion to install emissions control equipment across our coal fleet since 1977,” Anda Ray, TVA senior vice president for environment and technology, said in a prepared statement today. “That investment is paying off by allowing us to produce low-cost power in a manner that meets federal guidelines.”
TVA has installed scrubbers and selective catalytic control devices on about half of its coal units to cut smog emissions from the plants. TVA also plans to idle nine of its 59 coal units without such control technology by 2015 to further reduce its air pollution.