NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A federal energy’s choice to resort to rolling blackouts after coal and natural gas systems went offline throughout precariously cold conditions hasactually magnified concerns about the Tennessee Valley Authority’s current choice to double down on fossil fuels.
TVA knowledgeable its greatest ever winterseason peak-power need on Dec. 23 as an arctic blast brought blinding blizzards, freezing rain and freezing cold from Maine to Seattle. The Tennessee Valley Authority stated in an e-mail that a mix of high winds and freezing temperaturelevels triggered its coal-burning Cumberland Fossil Plant to go offline at one point when crucial instrumentation froze up. A 2nd coal-burning plant, Bull Run, likewise went offline, TVA representative Scott Brooks stated in an e-mail, although he did not offer information. The energy “had problems at some of our natural gas systems” as well, Brooks stated.
“The Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal and gas plants stoppedworking us over the vacation weekend. People throughout the Tennessee Valley were required to offer with rolling blackouts, even as temperaturelevels plunged into the single digits,” Southern Environmental Law Center Tennessee Office Director Amanda Garcia stated in an e-mail. “Despite this apparent failure, the federal energy is still preparation to invest billions to construct brand-new gas plants and pipelin