TVA Board Votes to Keep Tennessee Coal Plants Operational

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) board of directors voted unanimously on February 12, 2026, to keep the Kingston Fossil Plant and Cumberland Fossil Plant in Tennessee operational beyond their scheduled 2027 and 2028 retirement dates. This decision reverses a 2019 plan to phase out coal-fired generation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

TVA leadership cited a shift in the federal regulatory landscape and surging electricity demand—driven by population growth and the expansion of artificial intelligence data centers—as the primary drivers for the reversal. As part of this strategic shift, the board approved selling 150 megawatts of energy monthly to Elon Musk's xAI data center in Memphis. While the utility will still proceed with natural gas-fired generation at both sites, it voted to scrap a planned solar component at the Kingston plant.

The vote followed a leadership overhaul by President Donald Trump, who appointed a coal-friendly majority to the board and signed executive orders supporting the coal industry. In addition to the energy shift, the board voted to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) measures and references to renewable energy from the utility's strategic plan to comply with federal edicts.

Environmental advocacy groups, including the Southern Environmental Law Center and Appalachian Voices, condemned the move. Critics described the decision as a "bait-and-switch" and argued that the lack of public meetings exposes local residents to prolonged toxic pollution while increasing consumer costs.