Kemper Combustion Turbine Plant

Kemper Combustion Turbine Plant is located in Kemper County, Mississippi, near the city of DeKalb. It is TVA’s first major generating plant to be located in Mississippi.

Efficient power production to help meet peak demand

Combustion turbines can run on natural gas or low-sulfur fuel oil and are designed to start quickly to meet the demand for electricity during peak operating periods. The units at Kemper can reach full power in just 20 minutes. While the units are used primarily as peaking units, the Kemper plant has the capacity to produce enough electricity to power approximately 200,000 homes.

The plant site was chosen because it’s close to a major natural-gas pipeline and TVA transmission lines. The plant’s location also helps increase the reliability of electric service to customers in northeast and central Mississippi.

Combustion turbines operate on the same principle as a jet engine. Air enters at the front of the unit and is compressed, mixed with natural gas or oil, and ignited. The hot gas then expands through turbine blades to turn the generator and produce electricity.

State-of-the-art emission controls and noise management make the Kemper units more environmentally friendly than older types. When the units run on natural gas, nitrous-oxide emissions are less than 10 percent of what they were 30 years ago. When they run on oil, emissions are less than 20 percent of former levels.

Kemper, which occupies 197 acres in the midst of Mississippi farm country, will help TVA meet the growing peak demands for power that occur during the summer and on the coldest days of winter.

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 Kingston.

Emissions Data

TVA monitors other emissions at its fossil plants, including SO₂, NO_X, CO₂, and mercury. Check here for the latest data on Kingston.