1953 1.1gw TVA Shawnee Fossil Plant downstream from Paducah, KY

(Satellite)

Street View, Apr 2025

These are the smokestacks that are in the background of the photos I took of the  P&I Bridge over  the Ohio River at Metropolis, IL.

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And you can see the P&I Bridge and the smokestacks from the I-24 bridge. Note that his photo was taken in December so we can see the water vapor that is coming out of one of the stacks.

20171230 9402c via Dennis DeBruler

TVA posted four photos with the comment: "Four coal-fired units at Shawnee Fossil Plant will continue to provide reliable, low-cost power to the grid with reduced emissions for the remainder of their projected life cycles! Teams recently completed a Selective Catalytic Reduction project to install emissions-reducing technology on units 2,3,7, and 8. We’re investing in low-cost dispatchable generation while enhancing air quality!"

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I thought most power plants installed SCR technology decades ago. TVA did something a while ago because they obviously replaced eight small smokestacks with the two big smokestacks. Perhaps the new equipment removes mercury and other toxins.

TVA
"TVA is pursuing a first-of-its-kind, 100-megawatt pilot solar generation project on a closed coal ash site, called Project Phoenix. This project supports TVA’s cleaner energy future and explores new opportunities to reuse coal ash sites for future generation."

Those units are small by today's standards. In the meantime (year 2025), power plants with significantly bigger units are being torn down.

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"Half of TVA's energy production comes from its 11 coal plants." The video was produced in 2010.

11:03 video @ 1:00

TVA posted four photos with the comment:

It’s all in a day’s work for the team at Shawnee Fossil Plant! 💪

Whether installing new doors for safer, easier access to a boiler or adjusting key components like bearings, turning gears, and manway covers, their work on Units 1 and 9 is helping us prepare for the summer heat! ☀️

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TVA posted four photos with the comment:

New megawatts are coming to Paducah, Kentucky! We are constructing the world’s first large-scale solar field on a closed coal ash site. When this monumental project is complete, it will consist of 240,000 solar panels capable of generating 100 megawatts – enough to supply affordable, reliable power to about 58,500 homes.⚡️🇺🇸

Take five minutes to learn more 👉 https://www.tva.com/the.../stories/a-pioneering-phoenix

[There are quite a few comments about hail storms and tornadoes.]

Jameel Vance: “Reliable” power?

Michael Meyer: That fly ash may end up being worth more recycled. Because of the closing of coal-fired plants, there is a shortage of it used in concrete mix.

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