Power Demand Starting To Ease

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) – The Tennessee Valley Authority preliminary figures show demand for power at 9 a.m. EST on Tuesday reached the second highest winter peak in TVA history.

According to the utility, preliminary power demand reached 32,460 megawatts as temperatures averaged 4 degrees across the TVA region. That is 112 megawatts less than the record winter demand set on Jan. 16, 2009, when temperatures averaged 9 degrees.

The utility had asked local power companies to try to reduce power usage, but by late morning, demand was decreasing. A TVA spokesman said the utility is was no longer requesting conservation measures from customers.

However, TVA was continuing in-house conservation measures.

TVA is the nation’s largest public utility, supplying power to about 9 million people in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.