Shawnee Fossil Plant in Paducah is getting closer to it’s goal of reducing its gas emissions. TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks said the project is about 80 percent complete and should be finished by the end of this year.He said more than 800,000 work hours have contributed to building the emission control structures which make-up the bulk of the project. He said large spray dryer absorbing systems on towers, one and four, will reduce harmful emissions.
“The emission controls on those two units will reduce the output of a couple of key pollutants, including nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide by more than 90% at that site. So it’s going to mean cleaner air for everyone.” Brooks said.
The project is in response to TVA’s 2011 agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce air pollutants produced by the two units. Brooks said TVA has invested billions of dollars since 2005 to install emission controls on all of its coal fired power plants. He said the TVA has invested one-billion dollars at the Gallatin power plant in Tennessee to reduce emissions there. The Shawnee Fossil Plant generates approximately 8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 540,000 homes.
