TVA expects to meet demand in low temps after storm

Winter Storm Fern brought damage throughout the Tennessee Valley Authority system in Middle and West Tennessee. Twenty-three delivery points throughout the regions were restored after the storm swept through the state over the weekend. Local power companies, which buy electricity from TVA and deliver it to homes, are still working to restore power in that part of the state. TVA delivery points on the east side of the state did not experience outages. The utility hasn't called for the public to curtail its electricity use even with forecasts indicating temperatures may remain in the teens and single digits for Northeast Tennessee through the weekend. The last two winters, the utility saw record demand for electricity. "We had no call for voluntary load curtailment from the public during this weather event," said TVA Spokesman Scott Fiedler. "That is due to the weather, the temperature, and also all of the generating assets and the preparation that we've had in place prior to the storm." Equipment like trucks, bulldozers, skid steers, chainsaws and four-wheeler equipment were all positioned ahead of the storm, Fiedler said. Since 2024, the TVA has added 2,000 megawatts or MW of generating power — power for about 1.1 million homes — and is in the process of constructing an additional 3,700 MW of power to come online this year and next year. The TVA plans to add a total of 6,200 MW of generating power, said Fiedler. "This is to keep up with demand that we've seen, not only just from population and economic growth, but things like high loads, like these winter storms that we're seeing," he said. As of Tuesday afternoon, eight TVA delivery points in Mississippi remained without power with expectations to restore power by Tuesday evening. "We're navigating through fallen trees, deep snow icy roads and working out in the frigid temperatures," Fiedler said. "If we can't make it there by ground, we're using helicopters and drones to reach those areas where power lines are cut off by the ice and snow." Jorgelina Manna-Rea is a Report for America corps member reporting on issues relating to the environment for Six Rivers Media.