Tennessee Valley Authority
Allen Fossil Plant
Allen Fossil Plant is on the Mississippi River five miles southwest of downtown Memphis. The plant was built in the 1950s by the Memphis Light, Gas, and Water Division, leased to TVA in 1965, and purchased outright by TVA in 1984.
TVA Board Approves Natural Gas Plant in Memphis
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Tennessee Valley Authority board of directors on Thursday approved replacing the Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis with a cleaner, natural gas plant that will help ensure continued low-cost and reliable electricity for the greater Memphis area and TVA’s western service territory.
Balancing efficient power production with environmental protection
Electricity is generated at Allen’s three coal-fired units by heating water in a boiler to produce steam. Under extremely high pressure, the steam flows into a turbine that spins a generator to make electricity. Allen generates about 4.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply 340,000 homes.
Combustion turbines
TVA added 20 combustion turbine units at Allen in the early 1970s. These units can burn fuel oil or natural gas. They are designed to start quickly and typically are operated only during peak demand periods.
Low-cost and cleaner energy
Through 2011, TVA has spent about $5.4 billion on emissions controls at its fossil-fuel plants to help TVA generate power as cleanly as possible. This includes installation of selective catalytic reduction systems at Allen to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 90 percent. View more information about emissions at Allen and the steps TVA is taking to control them.