JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. — Residents in the Tennessee Valley should brace themselves for a chilly night as the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) anticipates reaching peak electricity demand with temperatures plummeting to an average of 11 or 12 degrees across the region.

In a conversation with News Channel 11, TVA spokesperson Scott Brooks revealed that significant enhancements have been made to their power capacity since the intense “Winter Storm Elliott” in December 2022, which led to rolling blackouts across the area. Notably, around 2,000 megawatts of capacity have been added to bolster their ability to meet such high demand.

Brooks explained that the additional capacity, primarily comprising natural gas peaking units, ensures that peak power can be delivered rapidly during periods of high demand. “We’ve added about 2,000 megawatts of our own generation to the system since Winter Storm Elliott, and most of that is meant to be available to meet peak demand,” he stated. “We’re in better shape there than we would have been over previous winters.”