Demand for electricity will likely hit another record peak again Wednesday for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as its service area remains under bitter cold temperatures.
TVA’s all-time high demand for power came January, 17th 2024 — almost exactly one year ago. At 8 a.m. that day, TVA power sources pumped out 34,524 megawatts to heat homes and businesses for the utility’s nearly 10 million customers.
Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) said frigid temperatures are driving power demand again. Conditions Wednesday will likely push that demand over last year’s all-time record.
MLGW said its power, water, and natural gas systems “are responding well to frigid temperatures” and that “there has been no impact to our customers.”
The TVA and MLGW will likely call upon those in its Demand Response program to help reduce overall demand. Program participants get recurring payments for agreeing to reduce electricity consumption in response to abnormally high electricity demand. There is no cost to participate.
MLGW asked all of its customers to take voluntary conservation efforts during peak times from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. Voluntary conservation tips include turning your home’s thermostat down to 68 degrees or less, unplugging electric vehicles, unplugging space heaters, and postponing the use of large appliances like clothes dryers and dishwashers.
So, how are local agencies preparing for this? Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW)? City of Memphis? Memphis International Airport (MEM)? Tennessee Department Of Transportation (TDOT)?
Here’s an unfiltered look at what they’ve told us (with links to follow the latest from the agencies).
Memphis Light, Gas & Water:
MLGW prepares for cold weather by tracking the weather, having additional crews on standby, and ensuring vehicles are equipped with necessary tools. Tree-trimming crews cleared more than 1,600 miles in 2024 to help reduce electric outages caused by falling limbs.
Credit: Memphis Light, Gas & Water
To combat water main breaks (which can occur when temperatures drop) MLGW has made several capital improvements like installing additional wells. It’s also been insulating water pump motors and conducting a system-wide water valve survey that will keep water flowing from pumping stations to the community.
To combat winter weather challenges, MLGW has implemented the following measures:
· Fleet maintenance: MLGW’s fleet vehicles receive monthly preventive maintenance, with extra attention to charging systems, tires, heaters, windshield wipers, and washer fluid in the winter months.
· De-icer supply: Garages are stocked with de-icer for locks, door handles, and windshields, ensuring crews can work efficiently in icy conditions.
· Cold weather diesel additive: To enhance vehicle performance, a cold weather diesel fuel additive is added to the tanks at MLGW fueling stations.
· Snowplows and brine spreaders: Six fleet vehicles are outfitted with snowplows and brine spreaders to clear access to MLGW facilities and community offices, ensuring essential operations can continue during winter storms.
City of Memphis:
Credit: City of Memphis
The city of Memphis has a new strategic snow and ice mitigation plan. Under the plan that went into effect on January 1, 2025, Division of Public Works crews will focus on specific routes when wintry weather affects our area, clearing one lane in each direction.
Previously, crews only treated inclines and declines, overpasses, and bridges. Clearing one lane in each direction on targeted routes aligns with what is done in other cities in Tennessee and nationwide.
Instead of a salt/sand mix, crews will treat the streets with straight salt. Using salt only should more effectively melt snow and ice on our roads. Crews will still pretreat with brine when conditions allow.
Instead of a salt/sand mix, crews will treat the streets with straight salt. Using salt only should more effectively melt snow and ice on our roads. Crews will still pretreat with brine when conditions allow.
Check the map to see which routes the city of Memphis will treat. The map also highlights routes cleared by TDOT. This new, focused approach is expected to better serve residents and drivers during winter weather.
Memphis International Airport:
Credit: Memphis International Airport
• When winter weather is forecast, MEM schedules crews based on the amount, duration and type of the expected precipitation. Snow and ice require different types of treatment.
• The goal is to prevent the buildup of ice and snow on runways and taxiways so that aircraft can continue to operate safely. Crews also work around the clock to clear ramps, service roads, terminal roadways, fuel farm loading areas, and more.
• MEM has more than 40 vehicles dedicated to snow/ice removal, including snow brooms, plow trucks, snow blowers, liquid and granular de-icing trucks, and tractors.
MEM has more than 40 vehicles dedicated to snow/ice removal, including snow brooms, plow trucks, snow blowers, liquid and granular de-icing trucks, and tractors.
• About 140 employees from airfield and building maintenance are available for snow operations, along with staff from operations, communications, airport police, procurement, and other areas. The vast majority of the [Memphis and Shelby County Airport Authority’s] 300 employees are involved in winter weather operations in some capacity.
• Airfield crews will work around the clock to clear runways.
• MEM’s centralized de-icing facility will be active for airlines to perform de-icing operations as needed.
Airlines:
• Passengers should contact their airline before traveling. Airlines manage all aspects of scheduling and will have the most up-to-date information. Early morning flights in particular could be affected.
• Even if MEM is open with flights arriving and departing, weather across the U.S. could disrupt airline schedules this week.
• Airlines are responsible for all aspects of ticketing, baggage, and gate operations.
• While MEM is responsible for clearing runways and taxiways, airlines handle all aspects of de-icing aircraft including staffing, application and equipment maintenance.
Other passenger information:
• Allow for extra time to get to the airport due to road conditions. It is recommended to arrive at the airport at least two hours prior to scheduled departure.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s (TDOT) Region 4 is prepared to tackle the ice and snow forecast for this week, ensuring the safety of drivers across the region’s 21 counties.
TDOT West Tennessee at the ready:
• Snow and ice budget: $5.2 million
• 176 salt trucks
• 139 brine trucks
• 29,000 tons of salt
• 508,000 gallons of brine
• 30 salt bins placed around the region
Maintenance crews are fully stocked with salt, brine, and other materials, to respond as winter weather moves into the area. Region 4’s [West Tennessee] snow and ice budget for this fiscal year is $5.2 million.
Drivers should expect to see crews in West Tennessee pre-treating the interstates and state routes region-wide for the upcoming impacts of winter weather. Crews will prioritize clearing interstates and heavily traveled state routes first, followed by secondary routes. TDOT strongly encourages drivers to prepare to stay off the roads on Friday, January 10, 2025, for their own safety and the safety of workers, giving crews the room they need to do their jobs.
TDOT strongly encourages drivers to prepare to stay off the roads on Friday, January 10, 2025, for their own safety and the safety of workers, giving crews the room they need to do their jobs.
“Our crews have been working diligently to ensure our equipment is ready and materials are on hand to keep the roads clear and safe,” said Jason Baker, Region 4 director. “We encourage all drivers to also prepare for the conditions and adjust their driving habits to stay safe on the road.”
For more information on TDOT’s snow and ice preparations, winter safe driving tips, preparing your vehicle for winter travel and links to road conditions in Tennessee and neighboring states visit: Ice & Snow.
From your desktop or mobile device, get the latest construction activity and live streaming SmartWay traffic cameras. Travelers can also dial 511 for travel information, or follow TDOT on Twitter for statewide travel or in West Tennessee follow here.
As always, drivers are reminded to use all motorist information tools wisely and Know Before You Go! by checking travel conditions before leaving for your destination. Drivers should never tweet, text, or talk on a cell phone while behind the wheel.
Environmental groups blasted a rate increase for electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority, (TVA) Thursday.
The TVA board approved a 5.25 percent rate hike during its meeting Thursday in Florence, Alabama. The move is expected to raise nearly $500 million for TVA. The agency said the average residential bill in its coverage area last year was about $138. The new increase will translate to about an additional $4.35 each month.
“We recognize that people don’t pay rates, they pay bills, and that matters,” said Jeff Lyash, president and chief executive officer of TVA. “We know this is a kitchen table issue for many families across our region. At TVA, we don’t like price increases any more than you do, and that’s why we continually work to reduce expenses by hundreds of millions of dollars each year.
“We have done everything possible to absorb costs as we invest in the reliability of our existing plants, construct new generation to keep up with growth and maximize solar to produce more carbon-free energy,” Lyash added.
The increase came almost exactly one year after the TVA board approved a 4.5 percent rate increase. That increase was expected to add $3.50 to customers’ monthly bills and was needed to improve efficiency and add 30 percent of new power load to the grid, TVA said at the time.
However, the total 9.75 percent rate increase figure was by design, environmental groups said Thursday. If the agency raised rates by 10 percent in a five-year span, that would have triggered re-negotiations with local power suppliers, like Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW).
Knoxville-based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) officials said they were frustrated by the lack of public information and input on the rate increase.
”Only in an Orwellian world of misinformation do we see our nation’s largest ’public’ power utility pass a massive rate increase while providing the public the least amount of information compared to ‘private’ utilities,” said SACE executive director Stephen Smith. “It’s highly unusual for a utility the size of TVA to issue a rate increase with zero independent review. This is a broken process, and every ratepayer in the Tennessee Valley is literally paying the price.”
SACE said it could “only guess” at what is driving “TVA’s current financial woes.” And it had a guess: “the largest buildout of fossil gas in the country in a decade,” pointing to new projects for fossil gas pipelines and power plants.
This also drew the ire of Gaby Sarri-Tobar, energy justice campaigner at the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity.
“It’s outrageous that TVA is raising rates again to pay for more dirty fossil-fuel plants and pipelines,” Sarri-Tobar said in a statement. “The country’s largest public utility is planning to build more methane gas capacity this decade than any other utility, defying its duty to be a clean-energy role model.
“By approving this rate hike, the TVA board is responsible for making life-saving power more unaffordable for millions of people, as our climate spins out of control.”
A 4 percent electric rate increase from MLGW began in January. It was the first of three annual increases to “fund continuing infrastructure improvements which will enhance the reliability and resiliency of the local electric grid.” Customers can expect their bills to — at least — increase each year for 2025 and 2026. It was not immediately clear how TVA’s new rate hike would impact MLGW’s scheduled increases.
Elon Musk. Photo by Trevor Cokley / Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Memphis environmental groups urged officials to deny an electricity deal for xAI, demanded a public review of the project, and said Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) ratepayers could subsidize some large portions of the infrastructure deal.
Details on the deal that brought the Elon-Musk-founded company to locate its artificial intelligence hub — called the Gigafactory of Compute — to Memphis remain few, even almost two months after its announcement.
A Tuesday letter from the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) outlined those knowledge gaps, showed confusion and ignorance on the deal by local leaders, said the facility would cause environmental harm to those in South Memphis, and that MLGW CEO Doug McGowen may have overstepped the boundaries of his position in approving the deal.
The letter was written and sent by the SELC on behalf of the Memphis Community Against Pollution (MCAP), Young, Gifted & Green, Sierra Club Tennessee Chapter, and the Sierra Club Chickasaw Group. SELC said, “many of these members will be directly affected by xAI’s operation and its harmful local consequences.”
The letter was sent to the board of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). SELC said MLGW is requesting TVA to provide xAI 150 megawatts of power. In the letter, SELC argues TVA’s Memphis system is not reliable enough to handle that much new consumption. Also, it said, a deal for the much energy needs more local approvals.
The 150 megawatt demand is enough to power 100,000 homes.
Southern Environmental Law Center
“The xAI facility is demanding a jaw-dropping 150 MW of firm power by the end of 2024,” reads the letter. “To put that demand in perspective, 150 MW is enough electricity to power 100,000 homes. The xAI facility would become MLGW’s largest electricity customer, siphoning five percent of MLGW’s total daily load to power its operations.”
On reliability, the group said that TVA admitted in October that it did not have enough generating and transmission power in the area even before xAI cam knocking. Back then, TVA proposed a new natural-gas-powered generation project here. The project was necessary to “improve the stability of its transmission system in the western portion of Tennessee. In this area, additional resources are needed to ensure that adequate transmission voltages are maintained within the desired limits,” SELC said, citing TVA’s report.
“Overcommitting to industrial load, as MLGW and xAI have requested, could have serious and even life-threatening consequences for residential customers in Memphis.
Southern Environmental Law Center
“In other words, TVA had already identified a reliability concern in the Memphis-area grid, even before factoring in xAI’s load,” SELC said. “Overcommitting to industrial load, as MLGW and xAI have requested, could have serious and even life-threatening consequences for residential customers in Memphis, contrary to the purpose of the TVA Act and the board policy. When TVA cannot meet peak demand, families go without power during increasingly severe hot and cold weather.”
Further, TVA’s gas-powered plants here are cooled with water from the Memphis Sand Aquifer. Higher strains on those plants — like during winter-weather events here in 2022 and 2021 — caused a serious draw on the aquifer and threaten well fields ”that provide drinking water for predominantly Black, low-income South Memphis communities.”
For these reasons and more, the group urged TVA board members to study the impacts of xAI’s supercomputer before agreeing to serve the facility. That study should include impacts to air pollution, climate change, water quality, water quantity and access, environmental justice, and transportation, SELC said.
“It cannot reasonably be disputed that xAI will require TVA to generate additional electricity and add capacity to the system,” the letter said. “TVA must disclose how it proposes to provide power to xAI, analyze alternatives, and study of the same categories of impacts identified in [the proposal for the new gas plant here] before committing to provide power to xAI.”
SELC also argues that the request to serve xAI is premature “because MLGW has not obtained approval from the MLGW Board or [the Memphis City Council] to spend millions of dollars of ratepayer money to subsidize xAI.” MLGW leaders told council members earlier this month that it would pay for $760,000 worth of substation upgrades for the project. Also, the utility will provide xAI a “marginal allowance” to recoup some of the $24 million it will spent o build a new, $24 million substation, meaning a big break on the company’s power bill.
”Thus, according to MLGW’s presentation [to the council], it seems that over the next few years, ordinary MLGW ratepayers will be subsidizing millions of dollars in infrastructure investments required to serve xAI, both directly and through bill credits to xAI,” the letter said.
Despite this “apparent massive commitment of ratepayer funds to subsidize xAI’s infrastructure needs,” neither the council nor the MLGW board was aware of the xAI project until it was announced on June 5,” SELC said.
Further, the group said MLGW board members weren’t even aware of MLGW’s request to serve xAI with more power from the TVA as late as two weeks ago. For proof, SELC cited an MLGW board meeting on July 17 in which MLGW board member Mitch Graves said, “On the xAI stuff…I wasn’t aware…that TVA’s got to approve something… hadn’t heard that anywhere…what is that they need to approve?”
“On the xAI stuff…I wasn’t aware…that TVA’s got to approve something… hadn’t heard that anywhere…what is that they need to approve?”
SELC citing MLGW board member Mitch Graves
SELC said McGowen negotiated this deal with xAI without oversight from his board or the city council. Doing so, the group said, is a violation of the charters of the council and the board.
”Proper review by the MLGW board and city council is essential because MLGW faces significant operational constraints that directly affect the Memphis coalition’s members’ access to electricity,” the letter said. ”MLGW must give the MLGW board and city council their charter-given right to evaluate whether it is in the best interest of MLGW ratepayers to subsidize millions of dollars of infrastructure investment in xAI over the next two years, while at the same time struggling to keep the lights on and provide accurate billing statements to residential customers.
”The TVA board should not consider the pending request until MLGW obtains required local approvals.”
Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) lifted its water conservation order Monday morning as “water service and pressures return to normal,” meaning customers are no longer required to limit water consumption.
However, the utility said all MLGW customers should continue to boil potable water before use.
That boil requirement will be lifted once MLGW has completed water safety tests. The utility said its laboratory started testing the water supply Monday for quality and clarity. Samples must incubate for 18 to 24 hours before results are available.
When the test results are ready, MLGW will send them to the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) to confirm that the water quality meets standards. Then, with TDEC’s approval, MLGW can lift the advisory.
Over the past week, MLGW said it has located and repaired 56 broken water mains, responded to more than 4,000 residential and commercial customers who reported broken pipes, and shut off nearly 100 fire suppression systems.
As pressure is restored, some MLGW customers may experience discolored water. MLGW said those customers should let their water run until it is clear.
All Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) customers should boil their water before consumption, the utility said Friday afternoon.
The move comes after MLGW issued boil water advisories for parts of its service areas Thursday, affecting about 15 percent of total customers. The situation worsened since then, MLGW said.
“Due to days of freezing weather [MLGW] has experienced multiple line breaks which has resulted in a significant loss of pressure to the drinking water system in Memphis and Shelby County,” it said in a statement Friday. “As a precautionary measure, we are asking MLGW water customers to boil water before consumption. We are also asking customers to curtail water usage and to repair any ruptured lines in their homes or businesses.”
For this, customers should boil tap water for at least one minute before consuming it. MLGW asked that customers use boiled or bottled water for drinking and cooking. Safe water should also be used for making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and preparing food until further notice. Tap water is safe for bathing and showering, MLGW said, but try to avoid getting it in your mouth.
The boil water announcement came just after MLGW announced that some customers do not have running water at all as the effects of winter storms continue to ripple through the Mid-South.
MLGW said Friday afternoon that water pressure continues to be a concern for many customers. Some have no water at all and the utility listed these are some possible reasons why:
• Pressures have dropped too low because of leaks between the customer’s home and MLGW’s pumping station.
• MLGW secured a leaking water line to repair it.
• The customer’s home has a line that is frozen and water is not flowing.
“MLGW crews are working around the clock to find and fix leaks in the system and restore normal water pressure to all customers affected,” the utility said in a statement.
Before the storm hit, MLGW suggested customers stock up on bottled drinking water to drink, brush teeth, cook with, and more. It also said to fill a container or bathtub with water for cleaning and flushing toilets.
”Now is the time to make use of that water,” MLGW said.
Those without water can pick up two free cases of bottled water (per vehicle) Friday from 2-4 p.m. at:
Shelby County Fire Station 62 4647 Forest Hill Irene Memphis, TN 38125
Shelby County Fire Station 67 944 Northaven Drive Memphis, TN 38127
The water giveaway is a partnership between MLGW, the Shelby County Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency, and the City of Memphis Office of Emergency Management.
Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) issued a precautionary boil water advisory for the southeast and northwest parts of its service area Thursday.
There were no reports of any water quality issues. But water pressures dropped low enough to trigger the advisory.
MLGW said customers should use bottled or boiled water for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice.
“Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water,” reads the statement. “Bring water to a rapid boil, let it boil for one minute, and then let it cool before using. Please use water from cold tap to boil.”
“People with severely compromised immune systems, infants, and some elderly may be at increased risk. These people should seek advice from their health care providers about drinking water.”
“For customers with known or suspected lead water service lines, please allow water to run for 30 seconds before collecting water to boil or use a certified filter.”
Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) directed its customers to avoid non-essential water use Thursday morning.
The utility said it has repaired 27 broken water mains since Saturday and is now working to fix two more. While water systems across the MLGW network are operating at full capacity, leaks downstream are affecting system pressures, it said.
MLGW is asking residential customers to turn off the water when washing dishes, brushing teeth, or shaving. It is also suggesting them to take shorter showers and delay running dishwashers and washing machines.
Customers can stop dripping household faucets to prevent pipes from freezing when temperatures are expected to rise above freezing Thursday between 1 p.m.-5 p.m. MLGW suggested returning the drips when temperatures return to below 32 degrees.
Commercial and industrial customers should limit water usage to 75 percent of their typical usage.
Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) has now formally asked customers to voluntarily reduce their electricity usage during the ongoing winter weather event.
The utility began suggesting the reductions almost from the beginning of the event, which brought subfreezing temperatures and several inches of snow across the MLGW service area on Sunday. MLGW and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) issued an “energy conservation alert” that began at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
It’s hoped that the voluntary reductions will help prevent brownouts and blackouts and help the utility “avoid more dramatic actions.”
TVA said its “generating plants and transmission system are performing well.” But it seems to be preparing customers for what’s to come. “As the snow and bitterly cold temperatures move through the Valley, we could set an all-time record for power demand Wednesday morning,” TVA said on X Monday.
Our dedicated employees and contractors are working around the clock to provide reliable power to our region during this extreme cold weather. Our generating plants and transmission system are performing well. As the snow and bitterly cold temperatures move through the Valley,… pic.twitter.com/tU7NEvDorA
Here are MLGW’s tips for fast energy reduction that will make the biggest immediate impact:
• If you are drying clothes, turn the machine off and let the items continue air drying. The clothes dryer is a huge energy hog.
• Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower to avoid unnecessary operation of the blower on your furnace or electric heat pump.
• Unplug electric vehicles.
• Turn off all electric space heaters.
• Turn off all interior lights during the day and keep on only enough light at night to feel safe. Don’t forget indoor and outdoor holiday lights, as well as your outside porch light.
• Do not run the clothes washing machine or the dishwasher, and if possible do not use the electric range or electric oven for cooking during the conservation alert.
• Do not use blow dryers, toasters, or other high consumption appliances that use electric resistance as their heat source.
• Keep the refrigerator and freezer on, but keep the doors closed. Every time the door is opened the inside warms up a bit and energy is needed to bring the temperature back down.
• Turn off and unplug everything that isn’t in use and turn off electric power strips.
Memphis is bracing for another possible ice storm.
Winter weather warnings were initially only for areas north and south of Memphis.
MEG issues Winter Weather Advisory valid at Jan 31, 12:00 AM CST for Alcorn, Coahoma, Lafayette, Panola, Quitman, Tippah, Union [MS] and Hardin, McNairy [TN] till Feb 1, 12:00 PM CST https://t.co/tDuInrSbFcpic.twitter.com/WFacdEGT9R
But an Ice Storm Warning was later updated to include the entire MidSouth.
Ice Storm Warnings (dark purple) are in effect now, Mid-South! Freezing rain may start as early as this afternoon, continuing through the overnight hours Tuesday night. Be extremely careful on the roads and prepare for power outages 🧊⚠️ pic.twitter.com/IdccJBiYsA
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Memphis then predicted possibly two rounds of ice. The first round would come through Monday evening and into Tuesday morning. The next round would come Tuesday evening.
NWS Memphis Lead forecaster Michael Hill explained it all here:
The Mid-South is gearing up for significant ice tonight that will cause problems on the roads and likely result in power outages. But the ice doesn't stop tonight. More from @NWSMemphispic.twitter.com/cmmr26HK9g
NWS Memphis warned the storm could cause “power outages, travel difficulties, and tree damage.”
Here is a model depiction of how the radar **may** look over the next 48 hours. We are expecting two rounds of mostly freezing rain.
This is going to result in significant impacts across the Mid-South, including power outages, travel difficulties and tree damage. pic.twitter.com/xkopHGjgbk
Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) said Monday afternoon that it was preparing for severe weather.
“Impacts to the MLGW service area may include power outages, tree damage, and travel difficulties,” MLGW said in a statement. “MLGW crews and additional contract crews are ready to respond to any local damage or outages.”
For all of this, the Facebook page The Damn Weather of Memphis issued a Liquor Store Warning to be in effect until Wednesday morning. It also said the storm is a “solid 6.3 on The Holy Shit Damn Scale.”
(Credit: The Damn Weather of Memphis/Facebook)
“Don’t be a dumbass,” the page said. “The roads will simply look wet, then you come up on an overpass and see an Infiniti on its roof.”
