Rolling blackouts ended in East Tenn. counties

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - Rolling blackouts have ended after starting again in East Tennessee counties. The Tennessee Valley Authority required power companies to resume the rolling blackouts due to extreme demand on the system.

However, TVA officials announced that the rolling blackouts would stop at 12:00 p.m. because the power grid was stable.

“We appreciate your patience as we worked with our 153 local power companies and industrial customers to manage record-setting power demand,” officials said in a Tweet.

Officials acknowledged that the blackouts were an inconvenience but necessary to prevent complete power blackouts.

These blackouts came after the area saw some of the coldest temperatures it’s seen in decades, according to releases from officials.

Oak Ridge, Knoxville Utilities Board and other power company officials announced Saturday morning that TVA required them to reduce the load to the electrical system.

Customers experienced temporary blackouts as a result.

Oak Ridge:

30-minute blackouts impacting 10% of customers

Knoxville Utilities Board:

Rolling 15-minute blackouts

Sevier County:

Rolling 15-minute blackouts

Lenoir City Utilities Board:

Rolling 15-minute blackouts

Newport Utilities:

Rolling 15-minute blackouts

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative:

Rolling 15-minute blackouts

Monroe County:

30 minutes to 1-hour power outages

Fort Loudon Electric Cooperative:

Rolling blackouts

Appalachian Electric Cooperative:

15-minute blackouts for region-based groups. You can view the schedule on their Facebook page.

The Piedmont substation was tripped on Saturday morning, according to AEC officials. Rolling blackouts were paused as officials worked to restore power and adjust the schedule.

However, AEC crews were able to restore the substation, which was out due to a down wire.

Electric officials advised people to lower their thermostats and delay using washing machines and other high-energy-use appliances.