During Fiscal Year 2024, officials with the Tennessee Valley Authority opted to invest nearly $430 million — in order to harden its systems and enhance reliability in natural gas, coal and hydroelectric plants.
Employees, in turn, have completed thousands of winter readiness activities that include the creation and stabilization of enclosures around exposed equipment, the modernization of heat trace technology to supply real-time data alerting technicians for loss prevention, the insulating of exposed pipes, and the training for better preparedness during extreme weather contingencies.
Officials believe these winter preparations are paying off; TVA successfully met the Valley’s all-time peak power demand record of 34,577 megawatts during Winter Storm Heather, observed last year around 8 AM Wednesday, January 17. And winter weather will greet the region later this weekend, and early next week.
Specifically, the Marshall Combustion Turbine Plant has eight generating units that can produce approximately 600 megawatts, which is enough to single-handedly power 300,000 homes. These units can be powered up quickly during peak times, such as periods of extreme cold or heat.
Next Wednesday, local authorities have invited regional media members to spend two hours in Calvert City, as TVA takes action and prepares its generating units for extreme winter temperatures.
