As the coldest temperatures so far this winter settled into the region this week, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s reliable and resilient power generation system met the highest peak demand in the agency’s over 91-year history.

Power grid operator PJM Interconnection on Wednesday said it hit a preliminary record for winter demand with a peak load of 145,000 megawatts (MW), while also exporting 8,000 MW, driven by extreme cold nationwide.

The new record comes after TVA spent $430 million in fiscal year 2024, which ended Sept. 30, enhancing the reliability of its hydroelectric dams, coal and gas plants. At the John Sevier Combined Cycle Plant in Rogersville, the winter readiness changes include heated cables and insulation to keep pipes from freezing.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which provides energy to Memphis, Light, Gas and Water along with many other utility companies across the Mid-South, set a new all-time power demand record on Wednesday.

Here are three ways you can reduce power use as frigid temperatures drop even further overnight in Knoxville and East Tennessee.

On Wednesday morning, the Tennessee Valley Authority delivered the most electricity they ever had in their 90-plus year history.

Amid below-freezing temperatures, preliminary results show TVA has hit an all-time power demand record Wednesday morning of 35,319 megawatts — the highest in its 91-year history.