Tennessee Valley Authority
Air Quality
Through the power distributors of the Tennessee Valley, TVA provides some 9 million consumers with reliable electric power at an affordable price. This massive public power system, the largest in the nation, provides a service that operates for the public good rather than the need to generate profits.
Public service also means public responsibility, and power generation across an 80,000-square-mile service area cannot help affecting the environment. More than half of TVA’s power is generated by the burning of fossil fuels, and this process inevitably releases chemical emissions into the atmosphere.
Plant modifications
TVA has one of the most aggressive emission control programs in the nation. By 2010, it will have spent about $5.5 billion on clean air modifications to its plants.
- TVA has installed various emission controls on all 59 coal-fired units, including selective catalytic reduction technology on 21 of its units to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions.
- Since regulation began, TVA has reduced sulfur-dioxide emissions by 84 percent and nitrogen-oxide emissions during the summer ozone season by 82 percent.
For further details about TVA’s clean air modifications and a graph showing emission reduction achievements, see the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides pages. Also see the menus at right for added information on emission controls and what TVA is doing at each of its fossil sites.
How Clean Is the Air?
This July 2003 report provides a look at air quality in the east-central United States, showing trends from 1979 through 2002. An analysis of EPA data over the past quarter-century indicates that the air in this region is good and getting better. View the report here (PDF, 1.1 mb, requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).
Air quality standards
Check here for information on the federal environmental standards that affect TVA’s power generation.
On the Air
These pages present technical reports on important air quality issues.
Scientific papers
TVA carries out many research projects related to air quality and other environmental issues. See a bibliography of recent scientific papers.