More Information Released Regarding Christmas Blackouts

Christmas 2022 will be remembered for being the Christmas that left most of us in the dark at times. December 23rd and 24th, the TVA issued rolling blackout orders to the power companies that they serve. Now we’re finding out a little bit more about what happened. The TVA says they reached their highest winter peak demand for power on December 23rd. The TVA says that a combination of high winds and freezing temperatures caused its coal-burning Cumberland Fossil Plant in Cumberland City to go offline when critical instrumentation froze up. The Bull Run coal-burning plant in Clinton also went offline. Scott Brooks, a spokesman for the TVA says the power provider told all 153 local power companies to reduce their load on the electric grid by 5% or 10%, depending on the timing and the day. Brooks says that it was up to local power companies to decide how to make the reductions, and the rolling temporary power reductions were an option — not a requirement — for them. The TVA says they take full responsibility for the Christmas blackouts and have now appointed an independent panel to review what happened.