‘As ready as we can be’: TVA says they invested millions to prepare grid for winter storms
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – After rolling blackouts left tens of thousands without power before last Christmas, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) say they are now prepared for another winter storm.
We feel like we are as ready as we can be,” said TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks.
On Dec. 23, 2022, Winter Storm Elliott came through Middle Tennessee. The big temperature drop, gale force winds and flash freezes caused natural gas and coal plants to fail.
RELATED: TVA invests nearly $123M to prevent ‘rolling blackouts’ this winter
TVA lost 20% of its energy generation, which lead to rolling blackouts across Nashville. Brooks says over the past year the agency has learned from Winter Storm Elliot and has made upgrades to the energy grid.
“We’ve gone out and we’ve hardened that equipment by, in some cases, enclosing it with the barriers, actual metal buildings around the equipment that was impacted by those weather conditions, to try to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Brooks said. “In some cases, we’ve added what we call heat tracing technology, which is essentially electric lines along piping and things that would be vulnerable to freezing temperatures, to be able to turn on some heat and keep those thawed.”
Brooks also said the TVA has new agreements with neighboring utilities to guarantee access to more power in a crisis.
“The intention is for the entire fleet to operate in extreme weather conditions up to minus 20 degrees Fahrenheit, and 20 miles an hour winds for at least 48 hours,” he said.
Report: Tennessee could see more blackouts this winter
However, those investments and goals aren’t alleviating concerns.
An October report from the Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) says TVA’s power grid is still vulnerable.
In response, Brooks thanked the FERC for the input but disagreed.
“It’s pretty easy to say something like the grid is vulnerable without knowing all of the efforts that are being taken to make sure that something doesn’t happen when it shouldn’t,” said Brooks.
Environmental activists say while the TVA continues to focus on energy from natural gas, the risk of a blackout will remain.
“Gas does not do well in freezing temperatures,” said Amy Kelly with the Sierra Club weeks after the 2022 blackouts. “TVA is actually moving away from diversification and investing more in gas which makes their system weaker.”
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Brooks disagreed with that assessment as well, saying the TVA is continuing to invest in natural gas.
“We feel like it is not only reliable, but it’s also cleaner,” explained Brooks. “It’s more resilient, meaning that that can meet the demand very quickly as needed.
Brooks says the TVA isn’t forecasting any extreme weather conditions this winter, but if another storm like Elliott does blow through, they are more ready now than this time last year to meet consumer demands.
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