by: Nikki McGee
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — As temperatures begin to plummet in Middle Tennessee, many are preparing to once again crank up the thermostat. However, a recent report ranked the Volunteer State as one of the most vulnerable states for blackouts and electricity shortfalls if extreme cold hits the South this winter.
Many can recall the rolling blackouts implemented in the two days leading up to Christmas last year in order to conserve energy during unprecedented demand to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power grid.
It’s a problem likely to continue, according to former U.S. Congressman Jim Matheson, now CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
“The problem is pretty basic: demand is growing and supply’s not keeping up, and it happened last year in Tennessee and surrounding states on Christmas Eve. Nine states had rolling blackouts. If there’s a cold snap, the risk is there again,” Matheson said.
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation found our grid operator is vulnerable to generators going offline during extremely cold conditions this winter.
“We’re trying to sound the alarm because this risk gets worse and worse each year because demand is growing and we’re just not building enough electric generation capacity to keep up,” Matheson said.
The problem, he said, is two-fold, and it’s not necessarily unique to Tennessee.
“We’re shutting down power plants before the end of their useful life, and that’s a mistake, so let’s keep what we’ve got, number one; and number two, look, this is in the public policy arena,” Matheson explained. “I’m not saying get rid of environmental permitting, but let’s have some predictable, reasonable amount of time to decide whether projects can be built or not.”
With power plants taking years to build, Matheson said the time to start planning for them is now. Although it’s hard to predict if and when Tennessee might see any blackouts this winter, there are steps you can take to help prepare.
“I don’t want to alarm people there’s going to be massive blackouts, but people should be ready for it in terms of make sure you have batteries so your flashlights work; make sure that if the announcement goes out asking people to conserve or cut back on their electric use, you kind of have an idea about what you would do so you don’t have to come up with it right in the moment then but you have a plan for that,” Matheson said.
If your electricity company asks you to conserve energy amid cold weather, some easy ways to do that include turning your thermostat down in the 60s and bundling up, as well as avoiding using major appliances like washing machines and dryers.
It’s also a good time of year to have an emergency kit ready to go, along with a way to get notifications from your utility provider.
