The Tennessee Valley Authority told federal regulators last week that a proposed $1 billion natural gas pipeline is critical for its plans to replace power from a retiring coal-fired plant.
The largest U.S. public utility urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act on an application to build the Ridgeline Expansion Project — an approximately 125-mile pipeline proposed by East Tennessee Natural Gas, a subsidiary of Canadian energy company Enbridge.
The pipeline would feed a new gas plant that TVA plans to build to replace the existing coal-fired Kingston Fossil Plant, which is roughly 40 miles west of Knoxville. The potential coal-to-gas switch has angered environmentalists who say the utility should turn to low-carbon power instead.
The utility’s plans demonstrate “a clear market need” for the pipeline as there is no existing line to service the pending Kingston gas plant, said TVA attorney Cameron Heck in the Wednesday FERC filing.
