TVA logo tileWeather brings power fluctuation
The changing weather in in the Tennessee Valley this week is bringing one of the biggest power fluctuations to the TVA in the utility's 82-year history.
TVA began the week Sunday with holiday shutdowns and mild weather cutting electricity demand in TVA's 7-state region to only 12,343 megawatts. But TVA spokesman Jim Hopson said the load is projected to jump up to 30,000 megawatts or more on Thursday morning when temperatures in Chattanooga and the four other major Tennessee Valley cities are projected to average only 12 degrees Fahrenheit.
"We don't anticipate any problems meeting the cold weather peak this week, but this is one of the largest load swings in TVA's history," Hopson said.
The demand on Thursday is still projected to be well below the 33,345-megawatts peak reached in January 2014 when the Polar Vortex pushed temperatures across the seven-state Tennessee Valley down to only 7 degrees Fahrenheit. TVA also has the advantage this year of the repair and restoration of the Raccoon Mountain Pumped Storage plant in Chattanooga, which can be used to help TVA meet short-term spikes in power demand, Hopson said.
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CBL center set for Louisiana
CBL & Associates Properties, Inc. is joining with Stirling Properties to develop a 425,000-square-foot retail center in Lafayette, La.
CBL announced the deal Monday for the Ambassador Town Center. Construction will begin later this month and the center is projected to open in March 2016. The 58-acre site will include Costco, Dicks Sporting Goods, Field & Stream, Marshalls, HomeGoods , Nordstrom Rack, Off Broadway Shoes , Chuys, Panera Bread and Freddys Frozen Custard & Steakburgers.
"Ambassador Town Center is well-located and has attracted a best-in-class retail line-up even before construction has commenced," said Michael Lebovitz, CBL's executive vice president of development and administration for the Chattanooga-based CBL.
The new retail complex is expected to create approximately 2,200 construction jobs, 1,000 permanent jobs and generate nearly $9 million annually in sales taxes for the city of Lafayette.
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U.S. resumes imports of beef from Ireland
The United States will permit imports of beef from Ireland, the first European Union country allowed to resume sales since the mad cow disease scare over 15 years ago, officials said Monday.
Simon Coveney, Ireland's minister for agriculture, food and the marine, issued a statement announcing that access to the lucrative U.S. market will be restored after American authorities inspected Ireland's beef production systems last year. Authorities estimate annual exports could be worth at least 25 million euros ($30 million).
The U.S. lifted its ban on beef from the EU in March 2014, but inspections are necessary before exports are allowed to resume.