NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Following the debacle that was Christmas 2022, the Tennessee Valley Authority officials said they've been preparing all year for this extreme cold.
Rhori talks to TVA in the player above.
Late Sunday, the region will be kicked into the 20s, with single-digit lows early in the week. This will be the coldest air we've experienced since December 2022. That month, a winter storm wreaked havoc across the country and was the coldest system average temp since February 1996. In Tennessee, that meant TVA had its highest demand on the power grid, and the state experienced rolling blackouts.
"In 2023 out of the lessons learned from winter storm Elliott, we have completed a $123 million investment in winterizing all the equipment," said Scott Brooks, TVA spokesperson. "We basically winterized our equipment at our generating plants — focusing on the cold fleet and natural gas heat, which experienced the most issues in the cold temperatures."
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TVA says they've been working nonstop to complete their more than 3,400 winter readiness activities, including enclosures around exposed equipment, Insulating exposed heated electrical cabling and modernizing their heat trace technology. Brooks said those fixes started directly after the cold snap in 2022.
Sensing lines at several coal and natural gas plants froze, essentially making those plants inoperable as demand for power rose. That's what triggered TVA to call for those blackouts, which the agency explained to Tennessee lawmakers in 2023.
TVA explains power loss: TVA faces tough questions from Tennessee lawmakers over the rolling blackouts just before Christmas
"We didn't waste any time," Brooks said. "We looked at what went wrong. We got to work. We spent the last six months of '23 making those repairs. This was an unprecedented event all along the east coast. We looked for other utilities of how we can work together and create contracts to purchase energy."
TVA crews will be at generator sites, and Brooks said they would be hyperfocused during the weekend as the storm comes in Sunday into Monday.
How can I prepare for the winter storm?
That means knowing the signs of frostbite and hypothermia, bundling up and staying dry and having multiple ways to receive information about the weather.
You can sign up for alerts from your local NWS office, download the FEMA app and check the wireless emergency alert settings on your phone to get ready.
Make sure you have a preparedness kit and check in on your neighbors if need be.
There are additional tips here: https://ready.gov/winter-ready
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
