The authority’s announcement that it will receive a Department of Energy grant and spend another $48 million on improvements made no mention of that date. This was reported by Oklahoma Watch the cash infusion will keep the plant running for a few more years.
“Extending the life of Unit 2 is the most cost-effective solution for GRDA compared to next-generation alternatives,” said Dan Sullivan, the authority’s president and CEO. “This grant allows us to use existing infrastructure to continue delivering affordable and reliable energy to GRDA customers in the future.”
Duke Energy, meanwhile, has offered December 2025 application Retiring Roxboro’s coal units by 2034. That hasn’t changed, Norton said, and the grant will maintain credibility as the utility invests in future projects.
When TVA announced plans to phase out the 50-year-old Cumberland plant, it noted “Environmental, economic and reliability risks” in coal facilities. not to miss Cumberland, said the utility“will continue to produce relatively large amounts of air pollutants”.
The federally owned utility reversed course after Trump TVA replaced four board members In 2025. TVA Chief Financial Officer Tom Rice, praised “Beautiful, clean coal,” echoing Trump’s trademark energy slogan at a February council meeting.
Shober, along with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, criticized the decision as “payback for tat” that will “severely hurt and harm TVA customers, the people who live in the Tennessee Valley.”
TVA spokesman Fiedler said the Trump administration’s coal loss is consistent with TVA’s reliability goals.
In January, TVA estimated that $738 million in investment would be required to keep the plant in compliance with current regulatory standards. internal documents obtained by the Southern Environmental Law Center through a public records request and reviewed by Inside Climate News. This is six times more than the listed project federal grant announcement. However, the board argued that the move would ultimately save money.
King, along with the Southern Environmental Law Center, doubts it. He said TVA’s plan for Cumberland means its customers “will have to foot the bill for projects that many don’t want.”
Sellers, a professor of environmental history, said the Trump administration’s desire to invest in the plants has “made pollution big again.”
“We will pay for it,” he said. “Of course, the people who live in the neighborhood of those plants will pay the price first and most seriously.”
This article originally appeared there Domestic Climate Newsis a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization covering climate, energy, and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here.
