TVA adds three natural gas units, 750 MW of generation to Kentucky’s Paradise Turbine Plant

The Paradise Combustion Turbine Plant in Kentucky recently gained three new natural gas units, in a move by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to shore up reliability and meet demand in the region.

Whale commercial operation of the new units began at the end of last year, they were just dedicated last week. That capped work that first began in Fall 2021, with no serious delays along the way. Now, the units should provide enough power to provide for more than 400,000 homes, and are capable of reaching full power within 11 minutes to help meet demand peaks.

“These units provide the flexibility, responsiveness, and reliability needed to support the power grid,” Roger Waldrep, vice president of major projects for TVA, said. “They allow us to meet demand during normal loads as well as peak periods, like the extremely cold days we experienced this winter, and the warm days that are ahead this summer.”

According to Jeff Lyash, TVA president and CEO, 14 of TVA’s largest industrial customers are based in Kentucky, so the extra power has a lot of potential to help. It’s also part of a plan to build more than 3,800 MW of new generation by 2028. As is, work on the site resulted in $369 million in projected capital investments.

“The Paradise plant is an essential component of TVA’s generation fleet, and we are excited to have this reliable, dispatchable generation on the system to support the 10 million residents of the Tennessee Valley,” Justin Maierhofer, TVA regional executive, said. “The communities served by TVA and local power companies throughout Kentucky continue to grow and prosper, and we are grateful for Gov. Beshear’s leadership and partnership as we work to meet this demand.”