Allen Fossil Plant

TVA’s Allen Fossil Plant was located on 500 acres on McKellar Lake, five miles southwest of downtown Memphis. Memphis Light Gas & Water built the plant, with construction beginning in 1956 and all three of its units were generating power by October 1959. The plant was leased to TVA in 1964, and TVA purchased it outright in 1984. The plant was named after Thomas H. Allen, who was a former president of the Memphis utility.

The Allen Fossil Plant’s three units had a total summer net capability of 741 megawatts, and Allen Fossil Plant Unit 2 set a run record of 198 days. All three of Allen’s coal-fired units were retired by June 2018. They were replaced with the Allen Combined Cycle Natural Gas Plant, which went into operation May 2018. The site also features a 1 megawatt solar farm and together they are able to generate roughly 1,000 megawatts of power—or enough to power more than 500,000 homes and businesses with low-cost and reliable electricity in the greater Memphis area and TVA’s western service territory.

Toxics Release Inventory

TVA is required to report annually to the Environmental Protection Agency on the amounts of chemicals released by its fossil-fuel plants. Check here for the latest data on Allen.

Emissions Data

TVA monitors other emissions at its fossil plants, including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide and mercury. Check here for the latest data on Allen.