Net electricity generation by energy source in 2023[1]
The U.S. state of Tennessee receives its power from a variety of sources. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is the primary utility in Tennessee which generates electricity and sells it to hundreds of local utilities and industrial customers.[2] Like most of the US, the sources used to generate power in Tennessee have changed substantially in the last decade. Coal's share of power has declined from nearly 60% in 2008 to about 25% in 2018, while natural gas has increased significantly.[3] Tennessee is home to the two newest nuclear reactors in the US at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, unit 2 being the first to begin operation in the 21st century.[3] After Watts Bar Unit 2 began operation in late 2016, nuclear power passed coal as the top source of electricity.[4] In November 2018 natural gas produced more power than coal for the first time in Tennessee.[5] Tennessee is home to the third largest pumped-storage hydroelectric facility in the US, and has the third highest net generation of hydroelectric power of states east of the Mississippi River, and eighth highest nationwide.[3] In 2018, about 57% of the power consumed in Tennessee was generated with emissions free sources.[5] Tennessee is a net consumer of electricity, consuming more power than it generates and receiving power from TVA facilities in neighboring states.[4]