The new suit: Environmental groups are suing TVA, claiming the utility failed to obtain the proper air quality permit for a 1.45-GW gas plant in Tennessee (located next to a coal plant that TVA had planned to retire by late 2028—but decided to keep online).
The new ruling: In a separate case, a federal court ruled that TVA violated the law in building a $2.5B, 1.5-GW plant elsewhere in Tennessee (also on the site of a recently revived coal plant). Why? The utility “failed to evaluate cleaner and cheaper alternatives to the gas plant” and “improperly committed” billions in ratepayer funding before even deciding to build the plant, according to a statement from the Center for Biological Diversity. The court decision overturns the environmental impact statement for the plant.
The throughline: TVA sees fossil fuels as key for near-term reliability (it’s eyeing 7-26 GW of new gas by 2040 and delaying coal retirements), and many ratepayers aren’t pleased.