April 27, 2026 - The Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally-owned electric utility corporation that serves the whole state, went back on its plans to shut down two of its coal-fired plants during a vote at its Wednesday board meeting.

Two years ago, TVA announced it would close the Cumberland and Kingston coal plants — which are located in Clarksville and Harriman — and replace them with new, multi-billion-dollar methane gas-powered plants by 2027.

TVA told News 2 in a statement that increased energy demand fueled by population growth and data centers, as well as regulatory changes, led to the decision to reverse the original plan to shut down the coal plants.

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During Wednesday’s board meeting, TVA officials praised the President Donald Trump’s administration for reversing several coal restrictions and said the changes allowed them to revisit the decision.

“We would not be in the position today to recommend continuing to operate over 3,000 megawatts of beautiful, clean coal that will directly support energy resiliency, reliability and low-cost power for the 10 million people we serve,” Tom Rice, TVA’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, said.

TVA said the continued use of the coal plants will allow them to keep prices low for customers and keep up with the increasing energy demand.

“Since TVA opened its first coal-fired plant during WWII, coal has been a driving force for our power system,” TVA’s Wade White said. “Over 85 years later, it is still at the heart of what we do.”

However, the Southern Environmental Law Center told News 2 the decision to keep the Cumberland and Kingston coal plants open was driven by politics.

“Utilities, for the last decade, have been closing coal plants because they’re not economic and they’re not reliable,” Trey Bussey, an attorney for the SELC, said. “TVA has been saying that for years. It has been saying running Cumberland and Kingston, these over 50-year-old coal plants, presents economic, environmental and reliability risks. That has not changed.”

What has changed — Trump appointed four new TVA board members after removing Biden-era appointees. Bussey told News 2 TVA is “committing itself to the past” by continuing to use coal, which he argues is among the dirtiest, most expensive and least reliable energy sources.

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“These coal plants are incredibly expensive to operate. They’re going to drive up people’s bills. They’re also unreliable,” Bussey said. “Just in the last couple weeks, over Winter Storm Fern, the Cumberland coal plant failed. It went offline when people needed it most. It failed just like it did a couple of years ago during Winter Storm Elliott.”

Bussey believes TVA should move toward solar and battery storage to keep bills down and keep up with energy demand. However, TVA officials said coal needs to be part of its comprehensive strategy to deliver “reliable, resilient, and affordable electricity” to customers.