TVA pulls plug on Cheatham County gas plant – but questions remain

After more than two years of fierce public opposition, legal challenges and even intervention from national political figures, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has announced it is no longer pursuing its controversial plan to build a natural gas and battery storage plant on Lockertsville Road in rural Cheatham County.

The proposed 900-megawatt facility had been TVA’s preferred solution to meet rising power demand in Middle Tennessee, particularly west of Nashville. But it faced immediate backlash from local residents, environmental advocates and elected officials who feared it would disrupt rural life, threaten protected waterways and violate the community’s long-term development vision.

Opposition intensified when country music star and Cheatham County resident John Rich publicly condemned the project, calling it an "anti-American debacle," and claiming on July 12 he spoke directly to President Donald Trump on and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.

Later that day, Cheatham County Mayor Kerry McCarver confirmed on Facebook that Rich had told him President Trump declared the project “dead.” According to McCarver, discussions were already underway to relocate the plant to New Johnsonville, Tennessee — an area more receptive to such development.

On July 15, TVA issued a statement officially removing the Lockertsville Road location as its “preferred alternative,” noting it was now evaluating other sites, including properties within Cheatham County's industrial park and locations outside the county. However, TVA has not ruled out Cheatham County entirely, and continues an environmental review process for multiple locations.

Uncertainty still looms

McCarver hailed the shift as a major win. “We have never been closer to moving the plant where it belongs and out of Cheatham County,” he said. He added that there is interest in using the State Farm Preservation Act to protect the 280-acre Lockertsville Road site, potentially through a county purchase and state land trust deed restrictions.

Yet skepticism remains.

Even as TVA backs off the Lockertsville site, there are doubts about the viability of relocating the plant within the county. McCarver noted that Cheatham County’s industrial park lacks the 70 to 100 acres needed to accommodate the project, meaning TVA may have to look beyond county lines for a suitable site.

Meanwhile, governance challenges at TVA complicate the situation further. The utility’s board of directors currently lacks a quorum, following the removal of several Biden-appointed members by President Trump. Without a functioning board, TVA cannot formally approve any new plans or finalize decisions about the plant’s future location.

For now, the Lockertsville project appears stalled — if not dead — but community leaders and residents remain vigilant.