Last week, a majority of western Kentucky was under a heat advisory and had heat indexes that reached the triple digits. The heat led to the Tennessee Valley Authority experiencing an increase in power demand.
TVA Senior Media Specialist Adam May says on June 25 the average temperature across the power provider’s coverage region was 96 degrees. May says on June 25, 2024 the region experienced the same average temperature, but this year their power grid had a 500-megawatt increase in demand.
May calls the demand increase a reflection of recent population growth and economic expansion. To keep up with continued demand, May says they currently have over 3,500 megawatts of power production under construction.