TVA report backs Trump-opposed closure of coal-fired unit

PARADISE, Ky. – A report by the Tennessee Valley Authority says it no longer makes sense to keep burning coal at its Paradise, Kentucky, power plant, despite calls by state and federal officials to keep it open.

The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that the TVA environmental assessment released Monday also recommends closing the Bull Run Fossil Plant in Oak Ridge by 2023.

It says both have high projected maintenance and environmental compliance costs and are a poor fit for TVA’s future power demands, which are better met by natural gas, nuclear and renewable energy. The TVA board will discuss the future of the plants on Thursday.

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tweeted in support of coal, and Gov. Matt Bevin says the closure would devastate Kentucky’s economy.