Brownsville Combustion Turbine Plant

Efficient power production to help meet TVA’s intermediate power needs.

The 137-acre Brownsville Combustion Turbine Plant in Brownsville, Tenn., helps TVA reduce the need to purchase higher-priced power from external sources during periods of high demand. It is one of 12 combustion-turbine sites in the TVA power system.

The four units at Brownsville can reach full power in 30 minutes, depending on the status of the units.

Combustion turbines operate on the same general principle as a jet engine. Air entering each unit is compressed, mixed with natural gas or oil, and ignited. The hot gas then expands through turbine blades to turn generators and produce electricity.

State-of-the-art emission controls and noise management make the Brownsville units more environmentally friendly than older types. When the units run on natural gas, nitrous-oxide emissions are less than 10 percent of what they were 30 years ago.