Work on TVA Line to Cause Starkville Power Outage

STARKVILLE, Miss.  A $20 million Tennessee Valley Authority project designed to increase electric reliability and boost economic development possibilities for the Golden Triangle is nearly finished.

During the overnight hours of Sunday, May 19, crews will tie in a new high-voltage electric line that will give the City of Starkville a second source of power, decreasing the chances of outages and increasing the amount of available electricity to help attract and grow jobs.

TVA will need to conduct a five-hour power outage to make this connection that will affect most of Starkville. The outage should begin about midnight May 18 and last until approximately 5 a.m. CDT on May 19.

Currently, Starkville is served by a single line from TVA. The added 2.5-mile line will give the city a second source of power.

“We are always working with the local power companies in our shared goal to provide the most reliable electric service possible and improve the quality of life of those we serve. The completion of this project offers many benefits for Starkville and the Golden Triangle,” said John Malone, Customer Service Manager for TVA. “This second high-voltage line not only greatly improves reliability, it also offers a greater opportunity to attract and retain businesses in the area.”

Starkville Electric Department and local officials are taking steps to ensure critical services, such as hospitals and nursing homes, have ample back-up power while the work is performed. TVA and SED crews will work quickly and do everything possible to ensure power is restored before sunrise.

“We understand that no one wants to be without power, and we will do everything we can to ensure there is minimal disruption,” Malone said.

In addition to this new transmission line, TVA recently completed a Clayton Village 161-kilovolt Switching Station adjacent to the 4-County Electric Power Association Lakeside 161-kV Substation. The new station increases current reliability and provides electrical capacity for future growth.

In order to complete the installation, a second outage is scheduled for the overnight hours of June 23.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is a corporate agency of the United States that provides electricity for business customers and local power distributors serving 9 million people in parts of seven southeastern states. TVA receives no taxpayer funding, deriving virtually all of its revenues from sales of electricity. In addition to operating and investing its revenues in its electric system, TVA provides flood control, navigation and land management for the Tennessee River system and assists local power companies and state and local governments with economic development and job creation.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *