OAK RIDGE, Tenn. (Dec. 23, 2022) – In order to meet the power demand today, the Tennessee Valley Authority will be conducting mandatory rolling blackouts that will impact electricity across the region and in the City of Oak Ridge.

The blackouts will impact about 2% of Oak Ridge Electric customers and will last for about 30 minutes. These blackouts will also continue across the Tennessee Valley.

As of this morning, temperatures are averaging in the single digits across the entire region, pushing power demand past 30,000 MW. We expect power demand to remain near this level through Saturday.

In an effort to conserve electricity, the Tennessee Valley Authority is asking the public to take some simple steps to reduce power use without impacting the holidays.

• Public safety is our overriding priority, so do not significantly turn down your heat, but lowering thermostats by just one or two degrees makes a big difference.
• Delay using washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, and high-energy-use home appliances until later on Saturday afternoon.
• Keep window coverings closed on the non-sunny side of homes but open them if bright sunlight is available to provide additional heat.

The City of Oak Ridge will issue an update once the rolling blackouts are over, and more information is available. Weather and outage updates will continue to be posted on the City’s social media channels including Facebook and Twitter: @CityofOakRidge.