Paradise Combined Cycle Plant#History
{{short description|Natural gas power station in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky}}
{{Infobox power station
| name = Paradise Combined Cycle Plant
| image = Paradise Fossil Plant.jpg
| image_caption = Former coal units, shut down since 2020
| country = United States
| location = Muhlenberg County, near Drakesboro, Kentucky
| coordinates = {{coord|37.25|N|86.97|W|region:US-KY_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| owner = Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
| status =
| th_fuel_primary = Natural gas
| ps_cooling_source = Green River
| ps_combined_cycle =
| ps_units_operational = 3
| ps_electrical_capacity = 1,025
| commissioned = Coal
Unit 1: May 19, 1963{{cite news|author=|title=1,100 Employed At Paradise Steam Plant|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58444472/1100-employed-at-paradise-steam-plant/|page=9|work=The Paducah Sun|date=July 4, 1963|access-date=2020-09-01|via=Newspapers.com}}
Unit 2: November 6, 1963{{cite news|author=|title=Second Unit At Paradise In Operation|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/58444828/second-unit-at-paradise-in-operation/|page=17|work=The Paducah Sun|agency=Associated Press|date=November 7, 1963|access-date=2020-09-01|via=Newspapers.com}}
Unit 3: 1970{{cite news|author=|work=The Paducah Sun|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Full citation needed|date=May 2021}}
Natural Gas
Units 1–3: April 7, 2017
| decommissioned = Coal
Units 1–2: April 7, 2017
Unit 3: February 1, 2020
}}
The Paradise Combined Cycle Plant (formerly known as Paradise Fossil Plant) is a natural gas power plant operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Located just east of Drakesboro, Kentucky, it was the highest power capacity power plant in Kentucky. The plant originally consisted of three coal units, with a combined capacity of 2,632 MW (2,379 MW net). Units 1 and 2 were retired in 2017, and replaced with the natural gas units, and Unit 3 was retired in 2020. The combined cycle natural gas plant had a capacity of 1.02-gigawatts (1,025 MW) as of 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Natural-Gas/Paradise-Combined-Cycle-Plant|title=Paradise Combined Cycle Plant|publisher=TVA|accessdate=August 25, 2018}}
History
Paradise is located near the site of the former town of Paradise, Kentucky, on the Green River. Coal-fired generator Units 1 and 2, each with a capacity of 741 megawatts (704 MW net), began operation in 1963. Unit 3, with a capacity of 1,150 MW (971 MW net), began operations in 1970. The coal units had three natural draft cooling towers, and Paradise was the only TVA fossil fuel plant with cooling towers.{{cite web | url=https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Coal/Paradise-Fossil-Plant | title=Paradise Fossil Plant | publisher=Tennessee Valley Authority | accessdate=4 February 2020}}
The town was razed by the TVA in 1967 over concerns that ash and other plant emissions would damage residents' health.{{citation needed|date=February 2019}} A barge unloading facility was constructed in 1985 so that coal could be delivered via barge, as well as by train and truck.
The Paradise's two original coal-fired generating units were shut down in favor of two natural gas plants that were brought online for commercial production April 7, 2017. The retirement of Units 1 and 2 reduced the coal consumption by nearly half in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.{{cite web|url=http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/15fca8f5f3990f7d50c6792b6433f69d|title=US_KY_COAL_PLANT_TOUR|publisher=APArchive|accessdate=April 4, 2019}} According to the TVA, the authority made strides in cleaning up the emissions coming from their fossil fuel combustion facilities. Graphs and data from the TVA suggest that emissions in sulfur dioxide ({{SO2}}), nitrogen oxide ({{NOx}}), and carbon dioxide ({{CO2}}) have dropped dramatically since the mid-1970s.{{cite web|url=https://www.tva.gov/Environment/Environmental-Stewardship/Air-Quality/Paradise-Fossil-Plant-Emissions|title=Paradise Fossil Plant Emissions|publisher=TVA|accessdate=April 4, 2019}}
In August 2018, TVA began studying the possibility of closing the remaining unit at Paradise.{{cite news|last=Flessner|first=Dave|date=August 27, 2018|title=Trouble in Paradise: TVA studies whether to close more coal plants|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2018/aug/27/trouble-paradisetvstudies-whether-close-more-c/477822/|work=Chattanooga Times Free Press|location=Chattanooga, Tennessee|access-date=February 14, 2019}} A final environmental assessment prepared by the TVA concluded that the adverse environmental impact of the coal plant outweighed the need for it in the area; therefore it was decided to close it.{{cite web|url=https://www.tva.gov/file_source/TVA/Site%20Content/Environment/Environmental%20Stewardship/Environmental%20Reviews/Potential%20Retirement%20of%20Paradise%20Fossil%20Plant/TVA%20Paradise%20Final%20EA_Web.pdf|title=POTENTIAL PARADISE FOSSIL PLANT RETIREMENT FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT Muhlenberg County, Kentucky|publisher=TVA|accessdate=April 4, 2019}} On February 14, 2019, the TVA board of directors voted 5–2 to shut down Paradise Unit 3 by December 2020, as well as Bull Run near Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 2023. High costs and low capacity factor were factors in their decision.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coal-tva/tva-votes-to-close-two-coal-power-plants-in-blow-to-trump-idUSKCN1Q32CD|title=U.S. utility TVA votes to close two coal power plants, in blow to Trump|last=Gardner|first=Timothy|work=Reuters|date=February 14, 2019|accessdate=February 14, 2019}} This decision came following intense lobbying by the Trump Administration and Kentucky governor Matt Bevin to keep the plant open.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.powermag.com/tva-mulls-coal-plant-closures-trump-urges-board-to-consider-all-factors/|title=TVA Mulls Coal Plant Closures, Trump Urges Board to Consider All Factors|last=Larson|first=Aaron|magazine=Power Magazine|date=February 14, 2019|accessdate=February 14, 2019}} Chief Executive, Bill Johnson, of the TVA said that the closing of Paradise and Bull Run's coal units will save consumers approximately $320 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-coal-tva/tva-votes-to-close-two-coal-power-plants-in-blow-to-trump-idUSKCN1Q32CD|title=U.S. utility TVA votes to close two coal power plants, in blow to Trump|last=Gardner|first=Timothy|date=February 14, 2019|accessdate=February 14, 2019|work=Reuters}} On February 1, 2020, the last coal-fired unit at Paradise Fossil Plant was shut down after 50 years of operation.{{cite web|title=TVA flips breaker to disconnect 50-year-old coal-fired Paradise Unit 3|url=https://www.power-eng.com/2020/02/03/tva-flips-breaker-to-disconnect-50-year-old-coal-fired-paradise-unit-3/|last=Walton|first=Rod|publisher=Power Engineering|date=February 3, 2020|accessdate=February 3, 2020}}
On November 10, 2022, the TVA demolished the cooling towers of all three retired coal-firing units by controlled implosion.{{cite news|last=Kight|first=Adam|title=Cooling towers demolished at retired Paradise Coal Plant in Muhlenberg County|url=https://www.wevv.com/news/kentucky/cooling-towers-demolished-at-retired-paradise-coal-plant-in-muhlenberg-county/article_236c7d2e-6110-11ed-ad3a-174905494f04.html|work=WEVV-TV|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=November 12, 2022}}{{cite web|last=Austin|first=Seth|title=TVA implodes cooling towers in Drakesboro|url=https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/tva-implodes-cooling-towers-in-drakesboro/amp/|work=WEHT/WTVW|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=November 12, 2022}}{{cite news|last=Van Veltzer|first=Ryan|title=Tennessee Valley Authority implodes Paradise plant cooling towers|url=https://wfpl.org/tennessee-valley-authority-implodes-paradise-plant-cooling-towers/amp/|date=November 11, 2022|work=WFPL|access-date=November 12, 2022}} TVA plans to install a solar power farm in place of the demolished cooling towers.{{cite news|last=Flessner|first=Dave|title=TVA plans solar facility atop coal ash residues in Kentucky|url=https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2022/nov/10/tva-plans-solar-facility-atop-coal-ash-residues/|work=Chattanooga Times Free Press|date=November 10, 2022|access-date=November 12, 2022}}
Cultural references
In 1971, singer/songwriter John Prine, whose father was from Paradise, released a recording of his song titled "Paradise". The song describes the original site of Paradise, Kentucky, which was destroyed when it was strip mined for coal.{{cite magazine|url=https://people.com/archive/john-prine-goes-back-to-whats-left-of-paradise-vol-2-no-18/|title=John Prine Goes Back to What's Left of Paradise|last=Martin|first=Frank|magazine=People Magazine|volume=2|number=18|date=October 28, 1974|accessdate=August 7, 2019}}
See also
{{Portal|United States|Energy}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Coal/Paradise-Fossil-Plant Official website – Fossil Plant]
- [https://www.tva.gov/Energy/Our-Power-System/Natural-Gas/Paradise-Combined-Cycle-Plant Official website – Combined Cycle Plant]
{{Tennessee Valley Authority Facilities}}
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1963
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 1970
Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2017
Category:Former coal-fired power stations in the United States
Category:Natural gas-fired power stations in Kentucky
Category:Buildings and structures in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky