The Tennessee Valley Authority set a new power demand record this morning as subzero cold swept across the region last night.
At 6 a.m. CST, TVA demand was at 32, 109 megawatts, the highest the utility has experienced for the month of February in 82 years. In comparison, demand was 32,751 megawatts during the height of the cold wave on Jan. 7, 2015.
"It took a team effort of literally millions of people across the Valley to safely keep the lights and heat on, and we greatly appreciate the support of everyone who participated," said Jacinda Woodward, senior vice president of TVA Transmission and Power Supply.
The all-time power demand record is 33,482 megawatts set in the summer of 2007.
Murray State University has an interruptible service contract with the TVA could require the campus to power down to reduce load on the utility’s power grid. Last year MSU’s generator failed and the resulting cold caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
TVA is still asking consumers to conserve power where possible through noon tomorrow as temperatures are expected to remain in single digits tonight.
TVA sells electricity to Kentucky utilities powering more than 204,000 households in 28 western and central Kentucky counties.
