A new chapter for Bull Run

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Cold, dark and dry. That is typically the assignment of a transition team once a generating station has been retired. However, Bull Run is not your usual site.

 

After serving the Valley region for 56 years as a coal-fired station, Bull Run was retired last December. The site will soon begin a new chapter and be home to newer, cleaner technologies. Before this can happen, Wade Hawkins, the Bull Run site manager, and a dedicated Power Operations team have been preparing the site for demolition – apart from the turbine building and storeroom.

 

“The transition team has accomplished a great deal in less than a year with no injuries, no environmental events and no clearance events,” said Kris Edmondson, Vice President, Power Operations. “This extraordinary performance serves as a testament to the professionalism of the team.”

 

The original work scope consisted of thousands of activities, including the following:

 

  • 59,000 tons of coal, 150,000 gallons of fuel oil, 4,200 gallons of unleaded fuel and all ammonia were removed from the site.
  • Approximately 2,500 cables were severed.
  • Over 500 clearances were executed.
  • 15,610 gallons of oil were drained out of 250 pieces of equipment and removed from the site.

In addition to the planned activities, the team was responsible for ensuring the site maintained environmental compliance.

 

“The transition team’s dedication and care of the environment, which resulted in zero environmental events and no inspection deficiencies, is impressive,” said Brian Fowler, General Manager, Regulatory Environmental Programs. “The team had multiple priorities during this enormous undertaking, and they kept environmental excellence at the forefront.”

 

The team also worked with other organizations across the enterprise. For example, as equipment was retired, the team verified with Supply Chain that contracts were closed. Additionally, the team partnered with Investment Recovery to sell (and load) surplus material, including empty ammonia tanks, coal belts, valves and transformer oil, as well as scrap material.

 

Equipment – such as parts and specialized tools – was shipped to other TVA sites. Kingston and Cumberland fossil plants were among the recipients of this equipment, as well as all of the coal, fuel oil and unleaded fuel.

 

“By sharing this equipment, we are being good stewards of ratepayer dollars,” Wade said. “And we are proud of the fact that we ended the year $2.2 million under forecasted budget.”

 

The team also donated $85,000 in items to the surrounding communities, including MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) to the Anderson County Emergency Management; a turbine to the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and materials to the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers apprenticeship program, the Chattanooga State Community College and Oak Ridge High School welding programs, the Anderson County Career and Technical Center, and the Wartburg and Claxton volunteer fire departments.

 

Looking Ahead 

 

With Bull Run’s large turbines no longer spinning, inertia must be maintained on the transmission system. TVA plans to install a synchronous condenser in the existing turbine building, which will ensure grid stability for the surrounding area.

 

Part of the transition team’s work involved rerouting multiple systems, as well as harvesting and moving equipment for reuse on the synchronous condenser. Upgrades are also underway in the switchyard that will support the synchronous condenser, along with the Bull Run – Anderson 500-kilovolt transmission line that was placed into service last year.

 

The contractor who will be overseeing the engineering, procurement and construction activities for the synchronous condenser has already begun mobilizing. The project will be finished in early 2027.

 

Other projects in development at Bull Run include the future assembly and operation of a stellarator fusion prototype machine and fusion research. The site is also being considered for a project similar to Shawnee’s Project Phoenix where solar panels would be placed on the capped coal ash. A separate effort would potentially harvest the gypsum and coal ash for alternative uses.