TVA hits new all-time power demand record amid bitter cold temperatures

Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / A sign indicates that, due to the extreme cold, the Ice on the Landing closed early Jan. 21, 2025. That decision allowed practice to begin two hours earlier for the upcoming Chattanooga Skillet Curling Competition at the First Horizon Pavilion. The fundraising event for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will feature 33 teams and run from Jan. 30-Feb. 2. Staff photo by Matt Hamilton / A sign indicates that, due to the extreme cold, the Ice on the Landing closed early Jan. 21, 2025. That decision allowed practice to begin two hours earlier for the upcoming Chattanooga Skillet Curling Competition at the First Horizon Pavilion. The fundraising event for the Chattanooga Area Food Bank will feature 33 teams and run from Jan. 30-Feb. 2.

By Staff Report January 22, 2025 4 min read

Amid below-freezing temperatures, preliminary results show TVA hit an all-time power demand record Wednesday morning of 35,319 megawatts — the highest in its 91-year history.

That surpasses the 34,577 megawatts reached during Winter Storm Heather at 9 a.m. Jan. 17, 2024. Through local power companies like EPB in Chattanooga, TVA supplies power to about 10 million people in parts of seven states.

The agency called on residents to voluntarily reduce their power usage Wednesday morning in anticipation of strong demand spurred by cold temperatures. Hamilton County Schools were closed Wednesday following the request.

Because the region’s population is growing three times faster than the national average, TVA is investing almost $16 billion over the next several years to build additional power generation and infrastructure, the agency said in a news release.