Planned power outage in Middle Tennessee going ahead despite heat wave

MCEWEN, Tenn. (WSMV) – Losing power during a heat wave is a nightmare for many families that rely on air conditioning and fans, but that’s exactly what’s happening this weekend with a planned outage that is going ahead as scheduled.

It’s felt like more than 100 outside all week and that strain on the power grid caused a major problem at the McEwen substation. A transformer exploded on Monday during the hottest part of the day.

The blast was strong enough to shake the home of Gary Evans down the street from the substation. He said they were without power for around 45 minutes and were very happy when the A/C came back on.

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Meriweather Lewis Electric Cooperative crews worked with the Tennessee Valley Authority to do a temporary fix that restored power to the community, manager of member services Vanessa Clayborn said.

The power company needs to turn the electricity off to around 3,500 customers in the McEwen service area on Sunday morning to complete a permanent repair, Clayborn said. It’s expected to last from midnight to 5 a.m.

“We don’t want anybody to experience anything unexpected in the heat of the day, while businesses are going on,” Clayborn said. “We have this window of opportunity on Sunday morning to keep everything as controlled as possible. Not only for our members, but also for the safety of those working.”

Clayborn said they want to prevent outages when people need the power to operate businesses and complete other tasks. They’re hoping the three-day notice is enough time for anyone who needs power overnight to make alternative plans.

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MLEC will only postpone the planned outage if there is severe weather. Clayborn said the forecasted temperatures in the mid-70s overnight are not enough to stop the work, and they are going to work as fast as possible to get the job done ahead of schedule.

McEwen resident James Pernell said he’s concerned it’ll be way too hot without A/C at his house, but he’s just happy the work isn’t being done in the middle of the day when the temperatures are even higher.

“That air goes out and it is rough,” Pernell said. “There probably won’t be a lot of people sleeping because it going to be so hot they can’t sleep.”

Evans said he’s not expecting any problems because many people in the McEwen area grew up without air conditioning or fans and should be used to the heat.

If any changes are made to the outage schedule, MLEC will contact customers directly and announce its social media platforms.

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