Bull Run Fossil Plant

Bull Run Fossil Plant is located on Bull Run Creek near Oak Ridge, Tenn. It is the only single-generator coal-fired power plant in the TVA system. When the generator went into operation in 1967, it was the largest in the world in the volume of steam produced.

Balancing efficient power production with environmental protection

Electricity is generated at Bull Run 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.

Bull Run generates about 6 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough to supply about 400,000 homes. It has been ranked the most-efficient coal-fired plant in the nation 13 times and is consistently in the top five each year.

Through 2011, TVA has spent about $5.4 billion on emission controls at its fossil-fuel plants to help TVA produce power as cleanly as possible. This includes installation of a selective catalytic reduction to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by about 90 percent and a scrubber to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by about 95 percent at Bull Run.

View more information about emissions at Bull Run and the steps TVA is taking to control them.

Toxics Release Inventory

TVA is required to report annually to the Environmental Protection Agency on the amounts of chemicals released by its fossil-fuel plants. Check here for the latest data on Bull Run.

Emissions Data

TVA monitors other emissions at its fossil plants, including sulfur dioxide, nitogen oxide, carbon dioxide and mercury. Check here for the latest data on Bull Run.