Tennessee Valley Authority
Power Restoration Updates
May 20, 2011
TVA has made great strides in repairing the damage sustained by the power system during the severe weather that moved across the region in late April.
Dozens of crews (construction, maintenance and contractor support) continue to work seven days a week to repair damaged facilities.
- Twelve transmission lines remain out of service from a peak of 108.
- Two hundred fifty seven transmission structures have been repaired or replaced, from a total of 355.
- All connection points have been returned to service. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
Although the transmission system is not fully restored, the transmission system is stable and capable of handling the expected electrical loads. Power outages should only happen as they would under normal operating conditions, such as equipment failures and extreme weather conditions.
At this time adequate power supply is expected to be available to meet the forecasted loads. TVA is not planning to schedule rolling brown outs or black outs unless something unexpected occurs.
Work will continue into July on the remaining damaged transmission lines in northern Alabama. The transmission system is expected to be back at full operating capability by mid July.
We estimate about 50 homes in Alabama that could take power remain without electric service. (Extensive work is required to clear the debris and rebuild the distribution line.) At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
TVA’s Transmission Emergency Operations Center remains activated in Support Mode with field managers overseeing repair work at specific sites.
May 11, 2011
The transmission system is stable and secure and adequate for the loads.
However, we are challenged on redundancy due to the transmission elements that are still out of service.
Some facilities have been returned to service more quickly than anticipated due to good weather conditions and available resources.
44 crews (construction, maintenance and contractor support) are working seven days a week.
Repairs are ongoing with most facilities scheduled to be returned to service over the next two weeks.
Based on current restoration schedule and forecasted loads, we anticipate being able to maintain reliability during the remaining restoration activities.
Twenty five transmission lines remain out of service from a total of 108.
Over 160 transmission structures have been repaired or replaced, from a total of 351.
The one TVA connection point remaining out of service is expected to be energized this week. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
We estimate about 220 homes and businesses in 4 power distributor areas in Alabama remain without electric service. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage and a Conservative Operations Alert because the system is vulnerable to heavy loading and transmission line constraints due to this week’s forecasted loads. The Transmission Emergency Operations Center remains activated in Support Mode with field managers overseeing repair work at specific sites.
May 8, 2011
We estimate about 6,760 homes and businesses in 12 power distributor areas remain without electric service due to damage from the tornadoes and storms. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
Only one TVA connection point remains out of service, affecting one large industrial customer. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 7, 2011
We estimate about 9,360 homes and businesses in 12 power distributor areas remain without electric service due to damage from the tornadoes and storms. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
Only one TVA connection point remains out of service, affecting one large industrial customer. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 6, 8:00 a.m. EDT
We estimate about 14,000 homes and businesses in 13 power distributor areas remain without electric service due to damage from the tornadoes and storms. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
Only one TVA connection point remains out of service, affecting one large industrial customer. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 5, 6:00 p.m. EDT
We estimate about 14,000 homes and businesses in 13 power distributor areas remain without electric service due to damage from the tornadoes and storms. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power in 75 distributor areas.
Only one TVA connection point remains out of service, affecting one large industrial customer. At the peak, 128 customer connections were affected.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 5, 6:00 p.m. EDT
We estimate about 6,000 homes and businesses are without electric service due to damage to the transmission grid. And about 10,000 are without electric service due to damage to 14 local distribution systems. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
Almost 97 percent of TVA's 128 customer connections originally affected by last week's severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining four connection points are the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next few days.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 5, 8:00 a.m. EDT
We estimate about 6,000 homes and businesses are without electric service due to damage to the transmission grid. And about 19,000 are without electric service due to damage to 15 local distribution systems. Most of the remaining outages are in the Arab, Alabama and Chattanooga, Tennessee, areas. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
Almost 97 percent of TVA’s 128 customer connections originally affected by last week’s severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining four connection points are the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next few days.
TVA continues to allow customers in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 4, 6:00 p.m. EDT
TVA continues to allow distributors in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads. We are adding customers slowly, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Almost 95 percent of TVA’s 128 customer connections originally affected by last week’s severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining six connection points are the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next few days.
We estimate about 10,000 homes and businesses are without electric service due to damage to the transmission grid. And about 27,000 are without electric service due to damage to 17 local distribution systems. Most of the remaining outages are in the Sand Mountain and Arab, Alabama areas, as well as the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 4, 8:00 a.m. EDT
TVA continues to allow distributors in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads. We are adding customers slowly, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Almost 95 percent of TVA’s 128 customer connections originally affected by last week’s severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining six connection points are the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next few days.
We estimate about 70,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 22 local power companies. Most of the remaining outages are in North Alabama and the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Workers from the seven-state TVA service area, plus Florida and Pennsylvania, are working to repair the transmission system.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
May 3, 6:00 p.m. EDT
Today TVA is allowing distributors in Alabama to resume normal operation on most customer loads. We are adding customers slowly, using extreme caution to ensure that the transmission system remains stable.
Almost 95 percent of TVA’s 128 customer connections originally affected by last week’s severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining six connection points are the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next few days.
We estimate about 85,600 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 22 local power companies. Most of the remaining outages are in North Alabama and the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
May 3, 10:00 a.m. EDT
Almost 95 percent of TVA's 128 customer connections originally affected by last week's severe storms and tornadoes have been restored. The remaining seven connection points will be the hardest to repair, but TVA will be able to restore power to most of the local power companies and large directly served customers within the next two days.
We estimate about 118,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 26 local power companies. Most of the remaining outages are in North Alabama and the Chattanooga, Tennessee, area. At the peak, almost 850,000 customers were without power.
TVA exited the Notice of Unusual Event for Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant at 8:50 p.m. CDT on Monday following restoration of a second power line to the plant. The Central Emergency Control Center was also deactivated Monday at 9:15 p.m. CDT.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
May 2, 2001 6:30 p.m. EDT
120 connections between TVA and local power companies and directly served customers have been restored since Wednesday's severe storms and tornadoes.
This means more than 93 percent of the 128 customer connections originally affected have been restored.
We estimate about 119,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 26 local power companies. About 98,000 of those without power are in Alabama, but that number is down from a high of 455,000.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service to most of the remaining local power companies and directly served customers within the next few days.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
More than 300 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
May 2, 2001 6:00 p.m. EDT
Downloadable audio file of Rob Manning's status update is available for radio use.
Rob Manning's recorded name and title
May 2, 2001 5:30 p.m. EDT
We estimate 146,000 served by 27 local power companies are out of service at this time.
May 2, 2001 2:45 p.m. EDT
We estimate 152,000 served by 31 local power companies are out of service at this time.
Photo Gallery
A photo gallery showing restoration work near Widows Creek is now available.
Storm damage repair photo gallery – May 1, 2011
May 2, 2001 10:30 a.m. EDT
120 connections between TVA and local power companies and directly served customers have been restored since Wednesday's severe storms and tornados.
This means more than 93 percent of the 128 customer connections originally affected have been restored. (Because service will be restored to all customers before all transmission lines are repaired, TVA is now reporting on customer connections instead of transmission lines.)
We estimate about 212,000 are without electric service in areas served by 37 local power companies. Virtually all of TVA's connections to local power companies and directly served customers outside of Alabama have now been restored.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service at some level to a majority of local power companies and large directly served customers later this week. Some Industrial loads may take longer to restore. Our initial focus is to restore the critical loads of local power companies.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Assessments continue and TVA crews will continue to fly over impacted areas to verify the integrity of transmission lines.
The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant remains in a safe shutdown condition while repairs are under way to transmission lines in northern Alabama. The plant's reactors, which shut down safely as designed during the storms, will be re-started when the transmission system is sufficiently repaired to accept the plant's power.
A portion of the plant's diesel generators continue to operate in combination with two off-site 161,000-volt transmission lines providing the plant with electric power. This combination of power supplies will continue until the site transitions from diesel power to off-site power.
At that time, the diesel generators will be turned off and we can begin the process of exiting the Unusual Event declaration that was issued on Wed. Apr. 27 at 5:01 p.m.
May 1, 2001 9:00 p.m. EDT
108 connections between TVA and local power companies and directly served customers have been restored since Wednesday's severe storms and tornados.
This means more than 80 percent of the 128 customer connections originally affected have been restored. (Because service will be restored to all customers before all transmission lines are repaired, TVA is now reporting on customer connections instead of transmission lines.)
More than half of the homes and businesses that lost power as a result of last week’s storms now have their power restored. We estimate about 330,000 are without electric service in areas served by 46 local power companies.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service at some level to a majority of local power companies and large directly served customers later this week. Some Industrial loads may take longer to restore. Our initial focus is to restore the critical loads of local power companies.
Restoration progress is being managed to deal with three issues: the extent of damage to transmission lines; the ability to link transmission lines together to reliably supply power; and the need to link generation sources that supply electricity to transmission lines, which in turn supply electricity to end-use customers.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Assessments continue and TVA crews will continue to fly over impacted areas to verify the integrity of transmission lines.
Distributor associations are coordinating assistance for local power companies needing help.
The Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant remains in safe shutdown condition while repairs are under way to power lines in northern Alabama. The plant’s reactors, which shut down safely as designed during the storms, will be re-started when the transmission system is sufficiently repaired to accept the plant’s power.
A portion of the plant’s diesel generators continue to operate in combination with an off-site 161-Kv transmission line to provide the plant with electric power. This combination of power supplies will continue until two off-site power supplies are established and the diesel generators can be turned off.
Tornado Damage and Lineman Crew at TVA Widows Creek
May 1, 2011 6:15 p.m. EDT
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May 1, 2001 9:00 a.m. EDT
96 connections between TVA and local power companies and directly served customers have been restored since Wednesday's severe storms and tornados.
About three quarters of the 128 customer connections originally affected have been restored. (Because service will be restored to all customers before all transmission lines are repaired, TVA will begin reporting on customer connections instead of transmission lines.)
We estimate 465,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 48 local power companies.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service at some level to a majority of local power companies and large direct served customers later this week. Some Industrial loads may take longer to restore. Our initial focus is to restore the critical loads of local power companies.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
April 30, 2011 6:00 p.m. EDT
85 connections between TVA and local power companies and directly served customers have been restored since Wednesday's severe storms and tornados.
128 customer connections were originally affected. (Because service will be restored to all customers before all transmission lines are repaired, TVA will begin reporting on customer connections instead of transmission lines.)
We estimate 474,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in areas served by 49 local power companies.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service to a majority of local power companies and directly served large customers by early next week. Our initial focus is to restore the critical loads of local power companies.
Approximately 4,000 TVA employees and contractors continue to work 24/7 to restore power.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
Initial assessments will be completed tomorrow, but TVA crews will continue to fly over impacted areas to verify the integrity of transmission lines.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
April 30, 2011 8:00 a.m. EDT
TVA crews made great progress overnight restoring the transmission system.
29 transmission lines have been returned to service, of the more than 90 originally out of service, and power has been restored to more than half of the connections between TVA and its local power suppliers.
We estimate 490,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in 51 local power supplier service areas.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service to a majority of local service providers and directly served large customers by early next week. Our initial focus is to restore local power suppliers’ critical loads such as medical facilities and water pumping stations.
About 4,000 TVA employees and contractors are working 24/7 to get the power restored.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
As crews continue damage assessments, and customers’ power is restored, these numbers will continue to change.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
April 29, 2011 7:00 p.m. EDT
Small Oil Leak Requires Shutdown of a Diesel Generator at Browns Ferry
Shortly before midnight on April 28, 2011, Tennessee Valley Authority equipment operators identified a small oil leak on one of the seven operating diesel generators at Browns Ferry. The equipment operators took prompt actions to shut down the diesel generator for repair minimizing equipment damage. This quick action supported the prompt maintenance of the diesel generator that will allow early return to service of the equipment. The shutdown resulted in some plant equipment being without power on Unit 1 for four minutes and 28 minutes on Unit 2.
During this time period, operators realigned and placed other plant equipment in service which was then powered from a different diesel generator. All three units at Browns Ferry are off-line and in a safe condition following Wednesday’s storms.
Six remaining diesel generators and an off-site high-voltage transmission line remained available and continued to provide multiple redundant power supplies for plant use.
TVA has notified the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of this event. Additionally, an eighth diesel generator that had been out of service for planned maintenance was returned to a standby status and is capable of providing power.
At no time during this event was the public or Browns Ferry employees in any danger. The plant is designed with redundant power and piping systems to ensure the plant remains safe.
April 29, 2011 7:00 p.m. EDT
TVA crews have made progress restoring the transmission system.
23 transmission lines have been returned to service, of the more than 90 originally out of service, and power has been restored to more than half of the connections between TVA and its local power service customers.
We estimate 524,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in 65 local power service areas.
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service to a majority of local power service providers and directly served large customers by early next week.
About 4,000 TVA employees and contractors are working 24/7 to get the power restored.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
As crews continue damage assessments, and customers’ power is restored, these numbers will continue to change.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
April 29, 2011 4:00 p.m. EDT
TVA crews have made progress restoring the transmission system.
As of 2 p.m. Friday, 21 transmission lines have been returned to service – of the more than 90 originally out of service – and power has been restored to more than half of the connections between TVA and its local power supplier customers.
Assessment of damage caused by Wednesday's severe storms and repairs will be complete today.
TVA estimates 561,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in 65 local power supplier service areas.
Based on current assessments, TVA anticipates restoring service to a majority of local power service providers and directly served large customers by early next week.
About 4,000 TVA employees and contractors are working 24/7 to get the power restored.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 200 poles or steel structures were damaged in the storms, resulting in more than 90 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
As crews continue damage assessments, and customers' power is restored, these numbers will continue to change.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
April 29, 2011 8:00 a.m. EDT
TVA crews have made progress restoring the transmission system.
Fourteen lines have been returned to service (from a total of 70 out of service).
Repairs will continue today. Assessment of damage caused by Wednesday’s severe storms will also continue today.
We estimate 612,000 homes and businesses are without electric service in 74 local power provider service areas. (The number may actually be lower due to some load in Alabama being restored, but local power supplier information had not been reported to TVA at the time of this update.)
Based on our current assessments, we anticipate restoring service to a majority of local power service providers and directly served large customers by early next week.
Thousands of people are working 24/7 to get the power restored.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage.
More than 120 pole or steel structures were damaged, resulting in about 70 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
As crews continue damage assessments today, these numbers will continue to change.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground..
April 28, 2011 8:30 p.m. EDT
On Thursday, TVA and crews made progress in assessing the damage to the transmission system caused by Wednesday’s severe storms.
As of 6 p.m. EDT, TVA estimated 641,000 homes and businesses were without electric service in 74 local power provider service areas.
More than 120 pole or steel structures are damaged, resulting in about 70 large transmission lines being out of service, including a large portion of the 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi. Seven large transmission lines were returned to service today.
TVA remains in a Transmission System Alert due to large area damage. TVA crews will continue their damage assessments on Friday, so these numbers will continue to change.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
Press Conference
April 28, 2011 5:50 p.m. EDT
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April 28, 2011 3:50 p.m. EDT
TVA and local power provider crews are assessing the damage from Wednesday's storms, and the reports of customers without power continue to increase. As of 2 p.m. EDT, we estimate 677,000 homes and businesses were without electric service in 72 local power provider service areas.
More than 100 transmission structures are damaged, resulting in 75 large transmission lines being out of service (down from 90 initially), including all of the 500-kilovolt lines and most of the 161-kilovolt lines serving North Alabama and Mississippi.
All three units at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant have been shut down safely.
A tornado touched down in the Widows Creek coal-fired plant switchyard on Wednesday, and one unit there continues to operate.
TVA urges caution when near downed power lines and requests that you call your local power company or emergency officials before you get near trees fallen on lines or lines lying on the ground.
Unusual Event Remains in Effect at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
April 28, 2011 11:16 a.m. EDT
Units 3 and 2 at TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant achieved "cold shutdown" Thursday at 2:43 a.m. CDT and 5:45 a.m. CDT, respectively. "Cold shutdown" is achieved when the reactor coolant system temperature is cooled to 212 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Unit 1 is being cooled.
The three Browns Ferry units automatically shut down on Wednesday, April 27, at 4:36 p.m. CDT when severe weather damaged TVA's transmission system near the plant. Systems operated as designed to safely shutdown the units.
Without sufficient offsite power available to the plant, seven of eight emergency diesel generators automatically started to provide power for the equipment needed to safely cool down the reactors. The eighth diesel generator was out of service for planned maintenance; it is expected to be returned to service today.
TVA declared a Notification of Unusual Event – the lowest of the four levels of nuclear plant emergency classifications defined by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission – at 5:01 p.m. CDT Wednesday when the normal and alternate power supplies for essential equipment were unavailable for more than 15 minutes.
The Notification of Unusual Event poses no threat to the public or to plant employees. Appropriate federal, state and local emergency management agencies were notified of the event.
Priorities for the plant staff include bringing Unit 1 to "cold shutdown," maintaining adequate supplies of diesel generator fuel onsite, returning the eighth diesel generator to service, protecting equipment necessary to maintain the units in a safe shutdown condition, and resolving computer and phone issues.
Although one 161-kilovolt power line is available and providing power to the plant from the TVA power system, the plant's diesel generators will continue to be used until additional, reliable offsite power is available.
No injuries have been reported at Browns Ferry.
The events and activities at Browns Ferry are not causing public health hazards.
TVA emergency response centers have been activated in Chattanooga and at Browns Ferry.
When the event was declared, Unit 2 was operating at reduced power to help stabilize the TVA power grid during the severe weather. The other units were at full power when the shutdowns occurred.
April 28, 2011 9:53 a.m. EDT
Wednesday will go down in history as one of the worst outbreaks of tornadoes in a single day in American History.
Initially more than 90 transmission elements were out of service due to storm impacts. Currently, 77 large transmission lines are out of service.
Thousands of people are involved in the restoration efforts. Public safety issues, such as lines across roads, will be taken care of as soon as possible as crews work to assess the damage. Helicopters are flying over the damaged areas to determine what is needed to repair the downed lines.
Currently forty nine local power providers of TVA power are reporting outages with an estimated 322,000 consumers without power. The number could rise further as assessments are completed. The hardest hit areas are EPB (Chattanooga) with 95,000 out and Huntsville Utilities with 60,000 out.
April 28, 2011 7:55 a.m. EDT
TVA crews continue to assess damage from Wednesday's dramatic weather event.
The TVA service area in Mississippi is divided in half, with the northern half receiving power normally. The southern part of the service area is slowly getting service restored. Power is being provided through local TVA generation along with transmission lines that connect TVA with neighboring utilities Entergy and South Mississippi Electric Power Association.
In Alabama, TVA used its Guntersville Hydro Plant to help restore service to some large transmission lines. Many transmission towers were damaged in the storm, and the power lines in those areas will take longer to restore.
April 28, 2011 7:00 a.m. EDT
TVA crews continue working to assess damage to the transmission system and restore lines where possible. As of 6 a.m. EDT Thursday, 12 large transmission lines had been put back in service, but 78 remain out of service.
Video Statement
April 27, 2011 11:25 p.m. EDT
A video update is available from Chief Operating Officer Bill McCollum.
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Chronology of Events
April 27, 2011 11:15 p.m. EDT
Wednesday's series of storms caused major damage to the TVA power system. We have never experienced such a major weather event in our history.
Local power companies, especially those in Alabama and Mississippi, have also sustained major damage.
Hundreds of thousands of consumers are without power because of damage to power lines and other equipment.
Due to the magnitude of the problems, it could take several days in some cases to restore power to some customers.
As each wave of storms passed through the TVA service area through the day and evening Wednesday, the TVA power system sustained additional damage.
As of 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, the TVA power system was stable, but more than 90 transmission lines were out of service, including 25 of the largest 500-kilovolt lines. The hardest hit areas for power line damage were central and north Mississippi, north Alabama and southeastern Tennessee.
Browns Ferry Nuclear plant shut down safely, as designed, when the site briefly lost its external electricity supply. Emergency backup power systems — including diesel generators — immediately began working and continued to operate as a precaution after outside power was restored. The plant and its safety systems performed well.
A tornado that touched down at Widows Creek Fossil Plant in northern Alabama damaged transmission equipment and lines, taking several out of service.
On the transmission system, TVA’s first priority is safety. Crews will be able to better assess damage when daylight allows, and efforts to restore service and repair damage will move ahead across the territory.
While damage assessments continue, the top priorities will be:
- Restoring full power to Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant
- Safely restoring power to the most critical customer loads (hospitals, assisted living, etc.)
Restoration in some areas will not be possible until water from the heavy rain recedes.
TVA staff are working around the clock to assess the system damage and restore power as quickly and as safely as possible. TVA thanks the public, local power companies, and state and local agencies for their assistance during this severe weather event.
Statement from Chief Operating Officer Bill McCollum on Today's Storms
April 27, 2011 8:00 p.m. EDT
The Tennessee Valley Authority service territory is taking a very hard hit from the weather. We would like to update you on the events so far... and the work that’s under way both at TVA… and at local power companies in the TVA territory... to assess and repair damage… and get the electricity back on where it’s out.
We want to stress the potential danger from damaged electrical equipment. Please stay away from any downed power lines or other electrical equipment… and report any damage to your utilities or local police or fire department.
We have an extensive number of transmission lines out of service because of tornado and high wind damage… which has resulted in widespread power outages across much of the northern part of Mississippi… in portions of northern Alabama… and parts of Tennessee.
Several power plants also are currently off-line… either because of damage to equipment… or because there’s nowhere to send the electricity while the transmission lines are down from the storm.
The three units at the Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant in northern Alabama automatically shutdown as a result of transmission line damage from the storm. The plant is safely shutdown and is using a combination of offsite transmission lines and on-site diesel generators to provide power to the plant. At 5:01 p.m. (central time) Wednesday, Browns Ferry declared an “Unusual Event,” due to the automatic shutdown of the plant. An Unusual Event is the lowest level of emergency at a U.S. nuclear plant. I’d like to emphasize that the nuclear plant is performing as designed… and all systems are operating safely.
Elsewhere, we have had extensive damage to our transmission system, both 500-kilovolt and 161-kilovolt power in numerous portions of TVA’s 80,000 square mile service area. Our priority tonight is to stabilized the electrical grid and begin an assessment of storm damage. Due to nightfall we really won’t know the full extent of damage until daylight.
We have been watching these weather systems develop and approach for several days. In anticipation of heavy rainfall and possible flooding… we lower the levels of our reservoirs and took other measures to lessen the potential impact of flooding. The rainfall amounts have been less than anticipated as a result we are not dealing with major flood damage.
The most significant damage appears to be from high winds and several tornadoes in several areas. We will closely monitor the weather conditions throughout the evening.
Finally, I want to re-state the importance of staying away from downed power lines and electric equipment.
Media Contact
Barbara Martocci, Knoxville, (865) 632-8632
TVA Media Relations, Knoxville, (865) 632-6000