"Severe weather requires preparation, planning, and resources. TVA and its partner, MLGW, plan for events like last month and feel that reliability is at the core of our service." -TVA Vice President Western Region Mark Yates

When severe weather struck the Mid-South in February, TVA in partnership with MLGW, was able to ensure that customers in the Mid-South maintained their safe and reliable service. TVA's diverse generation fleet is one of the nation’s largest and provides significant advantages, including mitigation against extreme weather events.

Having a diverse system means TVA doesn’t rely too heavily on any one fuel source. The power provided for this winter storm included nuclear and hydro, as well as renewable energy. In addition, natural gas units, such as the Allen Combined Cycle plant, and coal units added generation to keep the power system stable during periods of high demand, sometimes as high as 29,000 megawatts. In alignment with our environmental stewardship mission, 45 percent of this energy was from carbon-free sources.

"Because of TVA’s diverse, adaptable generation portfolio and active management of the generation system, the delivery to MLGW was 100 percent reliable in February, and it has been that way for the last 20 years," said Mark Yates, TVA Vice President Western Region. "Our assets are "winterized" to withstand extremely cold temperatures. As an extra precaution, we also increased our margin of available reserve power from 20 percent to 26 percent."

TVA recently placed ads in local news outlets to thank employees who worked during February's winter storm. TVA values the partnership with MLGW and looks forward to providing steady, reliable service for the Mid-South region for years to come.

Watch the employee appreciation video here.