TVA sees record power load after issuing power reduction advisory

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- Power utilities are coping with a surge in demand during this cold snap.

TVA and EPB sent out a power reduction advisory Tuesday.

For four hours Wednesday morning, TVA and EPB wanted customers to voluntarily cut back on the amount of power they used due to the arctic blast.

The cold also led to many schools closing, including Hamilton County, who cited that advisory in their reasoning to close school Wednesday.

Hamilton County Schools in their closure said in part that after hearing about the power advisory, they said quote, “It is our belief that not opening our approximately 80 schools will best serve the community’s needs at this time.” 

These utilities say that is not what the message of how their advisory was intended to be taken.

EPB spokesperson Sophie Moore said, “Yesterday we issued the power advisory at the request of TVA. That included very simple conservation steps. It did not include any recommendation for any organization to make operational changes or close.”

Even with the school closures, TVA says they hit a new record for power demand at over 35,000 megawatts around 9 a-m Wednesday morning.

They describe the significance of that number.

TVA spokesperson Scott Fiedler said, “That’s enough power for over 20 million homes at once. On a normal day, we’re down in the 25,000 thousand (megawatt) range, enough for 15 million homes.”

Fiedler says that the difference between average cold weather in the Tennessee Valley, let’s say temperatures in the 30s, is significantly different than the temperatures we experienced on Wednesday morning, with temperatures in many places falling into the single digits.

He said, “In essence, for every degree it goes down we are seeing another 300 megawatts of load be added to the grid. That really puts stress on the grid but that’s what we prepare for, and you’re either in winter season or preparing for winter season.”

EPB thanks those who helped keep homes across the area warm.

Moore said, “We appreciate people who take steps to conserve power and do their part, but these are things you can do to lower your bill anyway.”

There were no known power outages due to the weather.

Hamilton County Schools have announced students will return to class Thursday.