THEY’RE FEELING PRESSURE, AND SHOULD BE: TVA creates independent panel to review rolling blackouts before Christmas.

Multiple factors contributed to TVA’s struggles on Dec. 23 and 24, some of which are still being identified. Two that could impact the utility’s reliability going forward are:

Increased demand due to population growth and electrification in the Tennessee Valley.
Increased weather extremes in both summer and winter due to climate change.
Prior to the storm, TVA had planned to run all of its power plants to meet the increase in demand from heating systems because of the cold. In the early hours of Dec. 23, however, just as the the storm was beginning, TVA lost one of its largest electricity generators, the Cumberland Fossil Plant, located in Stewart County. During the winter storm, TVA also struggled to keep some of its backup natural gas plants and its largest gas plant in East Tennessee, John Sevier, running consistently.

TVA experienced the highest single day of demand in its history on Dec. 23 as the winter storm overtook the region and sent temperatures into single digits and in some areas, below zero. With the demand for electricity so high and the supply limited, TVA said it went through its 50-step emergency plan to preserve the grid, and for the first time ever reached the last step: implementing rolling blackouts.

“Increased weather extremes?” On this day in 1985, Knoxville hit 24 below zero. But in 1985, the power stayed on. This year we got rolling blackouts for single-digit temperatures that were 30 degrees higher.

As for increased demand, well, TVA is supposed to forecast demand and stay ahead of it. And increased electrification? Maybe stop pushing heat pumps and electric stoves. Gas heat doesn’t strain the grid.

Related: Here’s why TVA said there were rolling blackouts before Christmas.

The rolling blackouts were a symptom of failure. That shouldn’t happen.

Also: ‘They failed us’ — Rep. Burchett burned by blackouts, sends letter to TVA demanding answers.