Tennessee Valley Authority
Pollution Prevention and Reduction
Toxics Release Inventory
The Environmental Protection Agency requires industries, manufacturing facilities, and utilities to report on the release of any of 650 chemicals it defines as potentially hazardous to human health. This collection of data is called the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).
TVA files annual reports on the amounts of TRI chemicals released by its fossil-fuel plants (those that burn coal or oil). Only 26 substances on the list are emitted by TVA plants in quantities large enough to require reporting. The TRI doesn’t include sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which all fossil plants emit and monitor routinely.
As a federal agency TVA must also report TRI releases from all of its operations, not just its fossil plants. Although the amounts are small, the emissions numbers TVA submits are comprehensive and include substances that might be used for cleaning or maintenance activities at any TVA facilities, including nuclear or hydro plants. Only federal facilities must include all of their operations other than just coal- or oil-burning plants. Private utilities are not covered under this requirement.
Inhalation health-risk assessments performed at all TVA fossil plants show no significant health risks to employees or members of the public from the release of any of the chemicals in the TRI.
For more information about the Toxics Release Inventory, including reporting requirements and a list of the chemicals reported on by TVA, see Frequently Asked Questions.
In 2005, TVA’s 11 fossil plants generated more than 98 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough to meet the needs of about 6.5 million homes. TVA continues to reduce emissions at all its fossil-fuel generating facilities, and it is in compliance with federal and state regulations governing air, land, and water releases.
TVA’s total fossil-system TRI releases for 2005 were 76,172,546 pounds, an increase of 6,756,793 pounds over 2004. The increase occurred for several reasons:
- More coal was burned at the fossil facilities (approximately 2.1 million tons more than in 2004).
- More ash was removed from fossil plant sites and disposed of offsite, which is counted as a release.
- More western coal, which contains larger amounts of barium compounds than coal from other regions, was burned.
To view TRI data for each TVA fossil plant, choose a plant from the Emissions Data menu at top right.