The nation’s largest public utility plans to rely on coal-fired plants through 2039 and may more than double its capacity of natural gas-fired plants by 2040, according to a new energy plan pending board approval.
The Tennessee Valley Authority scaled back its goals for expanding solar power and recommended against buying any additional wind power in the 242-page draft of its integrated resource plan published Monday.
The draft comes after a board of directors with a majority of members appointed by President Donald Trump voted earlier this year to remove renewable energy as a priority and extend the life of two large coal plants.
As demand for electricity grows, TVA has shifted focus further away from intermittent sources of power that depend on weather toward plants that can run continuously or ramp up quickly when needed. The agency has curtailed its renewable energy plans and committed to running coal plants beyond its previous 2035 deadline in response to policy changes by the Trump administration.
(READ MORE: TVA overhauls its most controversial document: CEO’s paycheck)