Tennessee Valley Authority sets new power demand record

WNKY Staff,
winter
Source: Tennessee Valley Authority.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. ­— As the region saw the coldest temperatures this weekend throughout this week, the Tennessee Valley Authority met a new peak power demand in its 91-year history.

According to the TVA, Wednesday’s preliminary all-time record peak of 35,319 megawatts came at 8 a.m. CT with a system temperature of 11 degrees. TVA’s power system remained stable throughout the event.

“We have continued to harden our system for the weather and learn from each extreme cold event,” said Greg Henrich, TVA senior vice president, Grid. “We enhance our procedures every year to keep the power system stable and reliable during extreme temperatures. It’s a testament to employees at TVA and local power companies who work around the clock in the elements to provide power and make sure 10 million people are safe and warm. We also appreciate all of our partners in the Tennessee Valley — residents and businesses — who heeded TVA’s call to conserve power during the peak morning hours on Wednesday. Working together, we were able to make history.”

The record was set following requests from Bowling Green Municipal Utilities and Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation to conserve power by limiting unnecessary electricity use.

TVA says the region’s population is growing three times faster than the national average, leading it to invest $16 billion over the next several years to help maintain reliability.

The TVA is the nation’s largest power supplier that brings 10 million people across seven states.

 

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