Power Interruptions Rescheduled

MLEC postpones upgrade work in Hickman County due to weather.

(April 8, 2024) — Due to impending weather, Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative has moved a maintenance outage formerly scheduled for April 10 involving the Hilltop Substation to April 16. The job will not take place on the original date, but the scope of work remains the same as follow-up to a March 6 project. The overall effort will take approximately 14 hours, but MLEC will attempt to keep the power on as crews shift the electric supply for impacted homes and businesses.

As work begins at 4 a.m. on April 16, certain areas will see a brief interruption, or blink, as MLEC shifts the load. Some of these include Universal Drive, Murphree Avenue North, Defeated Creek, Puckett Hollow, Maryfield Avenue, Huddleston Road, Skyview, Grays Bend Road South, Camp Meribah area, Green Hill Drive, Highway 100 North out of Centerville, Rivers Road.

At the same time, everyone receiving power from the Hilltop Substation will see their power interrupted at 4 a.m. for approximately one hour as their power load is redirected. Some affected areas are:  

• Highway 100 East from Johnson Mine Road to Fantasy Drive, Brown Hollow Road, Highway 7, Primm Springs, Fairfield, Johnson Mine Road, Mill Creek Road, Bell Branch Road, Keys Branch and Hidden Valley
• Little Lot Road, Hassell Creek Road, Little Lot, Leatherwood Road, Highway 50 East from Gordon Road to Hickman/Maury County line, Duck River, Mobley Ridge Road, Sheboss Road.
• Nunnelly, Highway 48 North from Fairfield to I-40, Garners Creek Road, Pinewood, White House, Pretty Creek, Piney Road, Taylor Creek Road, Vernon, Dodd Hollow, etc.

MLEC estimates work will finish around 6 p.m. on April 16. As the electric supply shifts back, the impacted areas will experience the same interruption (blink or hour-long outage) as they did at the beginning. If conditions are not favorable, the load shift will take place closer to midnight or early the next morning.

“Based on predicted forecasts, MLEC officials have determined conditions may not be suitable to conduct maintenance while still powering all these areas from one substation,” says MLEC District Manager Matthew Chessor.

MLEC will watch the forecast closely leading up to April 16. Any changes to the schedule will be shared with local media and on MLEC’s social media platforms.

For MLConnect broadband subscribers, if internet does not return when power is restored, unplug the router for a few minutes instead of pressing the “Reset” button. Reach out to technical support by calling 931-729-3558, and selecting Option 3, then Option 2, if needed.

Should anyone have concerns, please contact MLEC at 931-729-3558.