The Tennessee Valley Authority is preparing for its highest summertime peak power demand in nearly a decade on Thursday when high temperatures across the utility’s 7-state region are forecast to rise to the highest levels so far this summer.
Temperatures in Chattanooga are expected to reach a sweltering 97 degrees or more Fahrenheit on Thursday afternoon, pushing up electricity consumption for TVA to about 30,500 megawatts between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday when air conditioners are running on high to keep homes, offices and factories cool. Power demand is expected to reach the highest summertime peak for TVA since July 2, 2012, but TVA officials said Tuesday they are ready to meet the demand.
Aaron Melda, senior vice president of power supply for TVA who oversees electricity distribution across the Tennessee Valley, is keeping his cool about the hot weather.
“I am pleased to say that we are positioned well to keep folks comfortable and the public safety at heart,” Melda said Tuesday from the power control center in Chattanooga. “We’ve invested many dollars in both our generation and our transmission systems to ensure that we are ready for this kind of event.”
TVA has dialed up the temperature in its own facilities and encouraged customers with power demand-sensitive contracts to limit their power usage during the heatwave. But Melda is barely breaking a sweat getting ready for the peak demand ahead. In fact, he’s rather excited about the prospects.