KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Tennessee Valley Authority says cold temperatures this week drove customers to set a record for demand for February.
TVA says the power demand hit an estimated 32,129 megawatts at 7 a.m. EST on Thursday. At that time, average temperatures in its coverage area hovered around 7 degrees.
The previous record for February was 31,045 megawatts on Feb. 5, 2009. TVA's all-time power demand in its 82-year history was set on Aug. 16, 2007, with 33,482 megawatts.
The electric provider says meeting the high demand required a combined effort from its generating facilities and 155 local power companies and large industrial customers. TVA had also asked businesses and households to conserve energy ahead of the cold snap.
The nation's largest public utility serves 9 million people in parts of Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.