Weathering the Storm

TVA Crews Continue Working to Deliver Power to the Valley Region

Crews from TVA and local power companies continue to work around the clock to safely restore service in Valley-region communities affected by an arctic system that has plunged parts of the nation into sub-freezing temperatures.

“We haven’t seen an ice storm of this magnitude probably since 2008,” said Joe Turk, senior program manager of Transmission Asset Strategy.

With below-zero windchills in freezing temperatures, crews will continue to encounter widespread icy conditions that could affect restoration times in some areas that remain without power.

“The biggest issue we’re seeing is damage from trees falling across lines,” Turk said. “The trees get weighed down with ice and they fall, and they can bend the arms on a structure.”

Downed trees create problems for power infrastructure, but they can also complicate the ability to reach affected areas. Over the weekend, crews would get as far as possible by truck, then use UTVs to continue further.

Then, “they’d get off and hike into dangerous conditions,” Turk said. “It’s not ideal, given the weather conditions and weather stress. But they follow all safety precautions and they know their jobs are critical to keeping power flowing across the Valley region when it’s needed most.”

TVA has a host of resources in the field, including bucket trucks, dozers, track equipment, skid steers, UTVs and chainsaw crews. Helicopters and drones have also been deployed to aid in this work, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.

“TVA’s crews are pretty tough,” Turk said. “A lot are former military. And on our maintenance crews, their experience level is anywhere from 10 to 40 years.

“(Over the years), they’ve seen the worst of the worst in terms of storm damage. They’re trained to work in this. I have tons of respect for the men and women who are out there dealing with it.”

Methodic and safe

TVA has more than 16,000 miles of transmission lines connecting power plants to local power companies that deliver power to homes and business throughout the seven-state region.

These transmission lines are designed to exceed National Electric Safety Code standards. Depending on wind conditions and the age of each line, they're designed to withstand anywhere from 0.25 inches to 1.6 inches of ice.

TVA also limits the design tension on transmission line conductors to account for extreme cold and ice accumulation. No TVA structures or conductors failed solely due to ice and wind in this storm. Failures of structures or conductors were due to the additional weight of falling trees.

"These standards make for very resilient transmission line structures," Turk said.

Amid severe weather or unusual events, transmission line issues are reported in real-time to TVA’s Operations team. Transmission crews are then quickly dispatched to the affected area to safely assess damage and begin repairs.

“They report back to us and we record the structures that are down, then we prioritize the repair work,” Turk said.

This work can involve electricians, technicians, engineers, lineworkers, emergency operation teams, pilots and many others from across the system.

The damage from this week’s severe weather has required a methodic, efficient approach that also keeps safety top of mind for TVA crews and the public.

“It’s not a like a tornado event, where you have dozens of structures down,” Turk said. “It’s mostly tree strikes, and then methodically going through and removing the trees. … That’s the bulk of what we have to work through.”

Despite the ice, snow and below-zero windchills, the crews remained focused on the work at hand.

“We have an exemplary safety record during storm damage,” Turk said. “When you have damage like this, there are many unforeseen hazards.”

Slips and trips on ice are a recurring hazard, and exhaustion takes its toll, too.

“There’s a lot more fatigue when you’re working in 20-degree temperatures,” he said. “Managing that fatigue is crucial.

“We remind our crews to take a break when they need a break, and identify the hazards around them and talk them over as a crew – and watch over your brothers and sisters who are out there working to maintain that safe environment.”

Extreme cold is forecasted for the rest of this week.

“We’ll have our foot on the gas until all of this is resolved,” Turk said. “There’s no taking breaks or patting on the back until we’re out of the woods completely.”

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