Gas powers a lot of Tennessee.
Methane is constantly flowing underground through pipelines to our homes, factories and power plants and across state lines.
The fracked fossil fuel, also called natural gas, accounts for a significant portion of total planet-warming pollution in the U.S. — more than coal.
In Tennessee, industry is the largest gas gorger, representing nearly 40% of all use, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s latest data.
“Industry” represents large facilities that produce materials, ranging from metals to food products and chemicals. For example, Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport caused the third-highest amount of planet-warming emissions of all facilities, including power plants, in the state in 2023, the most recent data available. The majority of its emissions come from the combustion of fossil fuels like gas. Primary Products Ingredients Americas, a subsidiary of corn syrup-giant Tate and Lyle, causes nearly all of its emissions by burning gas to produce sweeteners, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Industry used the most gas in Tennessee in 2023, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Electricity is the next largest user of gas. The Tennessee Valley Authority burns methane gas at its nine gas plants in Tennessee. (TVA has eight other gas plants across Alabama, Kentucky and Mississippi.) This sector is expected to significantly increase its share of gas use soon: TVA plans to add six gas plants in Tennessee over the next few years.
More: TVA plans 9th gas plant since 2020
Buildings gobble up a lot of gas for heating and cooking. Residential homes accounted for 16% of Tennessee’s total gas use, and businesses used another 14%.
The pipeline industry also uses gas to move its product and loses some via leaks. This sector’s use “includes compressor use, line loss, blowdowns, company use and natural gas used in liquefaction and regasification,” said Michael Kopalek, an analyst and gas expert at EIA.
Compressor stations essentially act as mini gas turbines, burning some gas to move large volumes of gas to various end users. “Line loss” refers to the gas leaked from pipelines.
Nationally, gas use increased significantly following the fracking boom of the early 2010s. Electricity has been the sector causing the most growth, as many utilities switched their coal plants to gas. In the 2020s, fewer utilities are still building gas plants: most newly proposed projects are located in Texas and the Southeast with ties to the Gulf of Mexico, where the U.S. exports liquified gas. Electricity now accounts for 40% of all U.S. gas consumption, while industry uses about 32%.
Another sector not mentioned in official counts is gas drilling sites, including Tennessee’s unplugged, inactive wells. The Appalachian gas drilling region, concentrated in Pennsylvania, is considered one of the largest single sources of climate pollution on Earth.
What’s the climate fix?
It is possible to phase out gas use in Tennessee.
For industry, companies can electrify many of their processes, meaning use electricity for energy instead of burning fossil fuels directly. For other processes, companies could develop lower heat processes, increase energy efficiency, improve materials and use non-fossil gases like hydrogen — then add carbon capture and storage, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
For electricity, TVA can transition to 100% renewable, battery and nuclear technologies. The evidence for the reliability of clean grids supports federal and independent models, according to a recent study by Stanford University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley.
For buildings, governments could require electrification of new buildings or developers could voluntarily make the switch. Electrification involves using electricity to power heating and cooking versus gas stoves and gas heating appliances. (The Tennessee state legislature has preempted cities from codifying it for new construction.) Electrifying buildings currently on gas is trickier: It can be expensive and may disproportionately impact low-income renters — a risk some advocates have referred to as “renovictions.”
Pipeline companies could then identify and fix leaks, a process becoming easier thanks to the satellites monitoring methane.
