Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant
Natural gas power plant in Alabama, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant is a combustion turbine natural gas-fired power plant operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) near Tuscumbia, Alabama. Commissioned in 1972, it is currently the oldest gas-fired power plant operated by TVA. The site was formerly home to the Colbert Fossil Plant, a coal-fired power station which operated from 1955 to 2016.
| Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant | |
|---|---|
Aerial photograph of the now-demolished Colbert Fossil Plant. The new gas power plant on the left. | |
 Location of the Colbert Combustion Turbine Plant | |
| Country | United States |
| Location | 307 Gas Turbine Road Tuscumbia, Alabama |
| Coordinates | 34°44′27″N 87°50′56″W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | Coal units[1] Unit 1: January 18, 1955 Unit 2: March 1, 1955 Unit 3: July 29, 1955 November 4, 1955 Natural gas units Units 1-8: 1972 |
| Construction cost | Coal units $99,104,091[1] (equivalent to $903,092,000 in 2024) |
| Owner | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Operator | Tennessee Valley Authority |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Natural gas |
| Power generation | |
| Nameplate capacity | 392 MWe |
History
Work began on the Colbert Fossil Plant, then known as the Colbert Steam Plant, on October 15, 1951. The first unit began operation on January 18, 1955.[2] Unit 2 began operation on March 1, 1955, Unit 3 on July 29, 1955, and Unit 4 on November 4, 1955.[1] Each of these units had a capacity of 200 megawatts. A fifth unit began operation in 1965. The combustion turbine units were added in 1972, making them the first natural-gas units in the TVA system.[3]
The TVA board voted to close the coal-fired units at Colbert on November 14, 2013.[4] Units 1 through 4 were retired in March 2016, with the last unit being idled on March 23, 2016.[5] The coal plant was demolished on August 25, 2021.[6]