Middle Tennessee Electric, TVA forecast record early‑morning peak; customers urged to conserve Jan. 22

Middle Tennessee Electric representatives told the Wilson County Commission on Jan. 21 that the Tennessee Valley Authority expects a record electrical demand and asked customers to reduce nonessential electricity use during the early‑morning peak.

Chuck Barber, speaking for Middle Tennessee Electric, said TVA projected a peak in the early morning (around 5 a.m.) and initially estimated total demand near 35,800 megawatts; commissioners were later told TVA increased its prediction to “36,000 plus megawatts,” which would set an all‑time record. Barber said TVA has planned generation and the electric cooperative is “well positioned” to meet the expected load, but asked customers to help by avoiding nonessential appliances such as clothes dryers, dishwashers and washing machines during the predicted peak period.

Chris Jones, another Middle Tennessee Electric speaker, said cooperative officials were confident TVA and local utilities had sufficient generation and that the cooperative’s priority was communicating and assisting members. He apologized in advance for higher January bills because of the cold weather and said natural gas and nuclear remain important to TVA’s capacity mix as the valley grows; he said adding solar and wind remains part of the long‑term portfolio but base load resources are critical.

The utility representatives asked county officials and residents to avoid high‑demand household uses during the 5–10 a.m. window on the day of the forecast to reduce stress on the grid and help TVA meet the peak. No outages were reported during the meeting.

Commissioners thanked the providers for the update and asked staff to continue coordination with the cooperative.