The Tennessee Valley Authority has expanded its Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant in Tuscumbia.
The plant, which started commercial operation of three new units in July, celebrated its dedication today. The addition has added 750 megawatts of new natural gas generation to TVA’s generation fleet, enough to power more than 400,000 homes.
Construction began on the expansion in the summer of 2021, and has taken more than 1 million hours of work with no OSHA serious injuries and no lost-time injuries. TVA made a capital investment of $502.8 million on the expansion and approximately 450 people worked on projects related to the facility expansion.
“These units provide needed flexibility, responsiveness and reliability for the power grid,” said Roger Waldrep, vice president of major projects for TVA. “They allow us to meet demand during peak periods, like the extremely hot days we experience in August and September and the upcoming cold nights that are ahead this winter.”
The expansion at Colbert is part of TVA’s larger effort to build more than 3,800 megawatts of new generation including solar, energy storage, combustion turbines and combined-cycle natural gas. TVA plans to invest $15 billion over the next three years in these additional generation efforts.
“Our commitment to Alabama has and continues to remain strong,” said Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO. “We take great pride in the facilities, resources and partnerships we have built in the state. We appreciate the work that takes place daily to strengthen and benefit the communities we are privileged to serve.”
During the construction of the Colbert expansion project, Alabama benefitted from economic impact through local spending with small businesses and equipment, contractors, suppliers and payroll expenses. In the last fiscal year, from October 1, 2022 to September 30, 2023, there were 830 new jobs created, 7,300 jobs retained and $1.7 billion in capital investments in Alabama, according to TVA’s release.
