MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board voted Thursday to retire the coal-fired Allen Fossil Plant in Memphis and replace it with a natural-gas facility, marking another step by the nation’s largest utility to reduce its reliance on coal.

CEO Bill Johnson said the $975 million, 1,000-megawatt natural-gas fired plant will significantly cut emissions of carbon dioxide and gases that cause smog, while providing power to about 580,000 homes.