As North Alabama continues to pick up more new residents, businesses and industries, more energy will be required to keep the lights on.

To that end, the Tennessee Valley Authority entered into an option to purchase 3,000 acres between Courtland and Hillsboro in Lawrence County for a potential solar site. TVA spokesperson Malinda Hunter said any power produced by the solar field would become part of the overall grid and be used by all counties within TVA’s service area, including Limestone.

During the two-year option term, Hunter said TVA would conduct due diligence on the site, including technical, environmental and cultural reviews that will “inform the decision to purchase the property for the construction of one or more utility scale solar projects.”

The outcome of those assessments will determine whether TVA moves forward with purchasing the property. Hunter said no decisions about future land use will be made until the assessments are completed.

TVA committed to more renewables as part of its Integrated Resources Plan, which is a 20-year look into the future. The plan was approved by TVA’s board of directors in August 2019.

Utility-scale solar power is part of that strategy, Hunter said. The plan calls for additional solar power over the next 20 years, which the utility believes will attract high-paying jobs and investment into TVA’s service area.

“With nearly 60% carbon-free generation, TVA is committed to a cleaner future to ensure we can provide our region clean, reliable and affordable energy,” she said.

More power

The potential solar project comes just months after the completion of the Extended Power Uprate project at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant. The effort, which wrapped up last summer, was the culmination of a five-year project to modify the plant’s reactors to produce an additional 465 megawatts of power. That’s enough to power 280,000 homes.

Browns Ferry was the first three-unit site to implement EPUs. The project was supported by more than 50 vendors from 20 states.