The most significant new retirements since SNL Energy last published this analysis in September 2013 came from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which in November 2013 committed to retire eight coal units with more than 3,000 MW of total capacity. TVA said the retirements at its Colbert, Widows Creek and Paradise plants will help diversify its generation portfolio in the face of lower power sales and stringent environmental regulations. The utility estimated that shuttering the units would avoid capital costs of $1.01 billion at Colbert and $163 million at Widows Creek for emissions controls. TVA’s latest round of retirements represents a blow to the Illinois Basin coal market, which provides the three plants with the vast majority of their coal supply.

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