Work began on the Colbert Fossil Plant, then known as the Colbert Steam Plant, on October 15, 1951. The first unit began operation on January 18, 1955.[2] Unit 2 began operation on March 1, 1955, Unit 3 on July 29, 1955, and Unit 4 on November 4, 1955.[1] Each of these units had a capacity of 200 megawatts. A fifth unit began operation in 1965. The combustion turbine units were added in 1972, making them the first natural-gas units in the TVA system.[3]
The TVA board voted to close the coal-fired units at Colbert on November 14, 2013.[4] Units 1 through 4 were retired in March 2016, with the last unit being idled on March 23, 2016.[5] The coal plant was demolished on August 25, 2021.[6]