The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), America’s largest public power supplier, has selected the option to construct a natural gas plant in Lowndes County.
The TVA-owned New Caledonia Site, located around 10 miles northeast of Columbus, has been vacant since 2007 but will soon be put to use. The power provider will build a simple cycle combustion turbine plant on the land that will bring new power generation to the area. It will be paired with existing natural gas and transmission infrastructure on the 145-acre site and an adjacent substation.
“TVA is taking a holistic approach to our generation portfolio to ensure that we are doing our part to drive economic development and to make Mississippi the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Mississippi TVA regional executive Amy Tate said. “We are adding the New Caledonia site to our portfolio to enable ongoing and future growth, focusing on more efficient energy generation while maintaining low rates and reliable power for people we are privileged to serve.”
According to TVA officials, combustion turbine plants are needed to provide “dispatchable generation capacity to ensure that TVA can reliably meet required year-round generation” and meet system demands. Combustion turbine plants also enable more renewables to be brought to the power system.
“The Town of Caledonia is very excited to have the TVA Project, New Caledonia, coming to our community,” Mayor of Caledonia Betty Darnell said. “Caledonia welcomes and supports this project. We welcome all of the TVA staff and construction workers who will be a part of our community and town during the construction phase as well as future operations.”
TVA elected to build the plant in Caledonia after a thorough environmental review and stakeholder engagement process.
