TVA to Interrupt Power in Blue Ridge Area for Switchyard Work
Feb. 25, 2004
BLUE RIDGE, Ga. – To make transmission line modifications that are part of power supply upgrades in the Blue Ridge area, TVA will interrupt power for about one hour during the next two weekends.
Power will be interrupted south of Epworth to the city of Blue Ridge for approximately one hour from midnight Friday, Feb. 27, until 1 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28, and from midnight Friday, March 5, until 1 a.m. Saturday, March 6.
TVA provides power to Tri-State Electric Membership Corp., the local power distributor for the Blue Ridge area, through a transmission line built in the 1920s. Because of increasing power demands in the Blue Ridge community, one transmission line is no longer adequate to serve the area reliably.
As part of major upgrades to improve the power system in the area, TVA has built a new substation, located at Blue Ridge Dam, and a new transmission line. TVA plans to remove from service two segments of the new transmission line while work is completed in the new switchyard. When the work is completed, the new line segments will be reconnected to the power system.
Power to Tri-State EMC must be interrupted while the lines are being removed from service and connected into the power system. The power outage will affect an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 Tri-State EMC customers.
“We recognize that this outage will be an inconvenience to area residents and businesses,” said TVA Vice President of Electric System Projects David Hall. “However, modifications in the switchyard are necessary to complete significant power supply upgrades that will result in a more reliable power supply for the Blue Ridge area.”
If the weather is extremely bad, or if temperatures are extremely cold during the time of the scheduled work, the outages will be rescheduled.
TVA is the nation’s largest public power provider and is completely self-financed. TVA provides power to large industries and 158 power distributors that serve 8.3 million consumers in seven southeastern states.
Media Contact:
Myra Ireland, Chattanooga (423-751-7153) or TVA News Bureau, Knoxville (865-632-6000)
