Power Interruptions Set for April 10

Upgrade work continues for MLEC crews.

(April 2, 2024) — As follow-up to the March 6, maintenance outage, Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative has additional work set for April 10, in the Hilltop Substation. The job will take approximately 14 hours, but MLEC will attempt to keep the power on as crews work by shifting electric load for impacted homes and businesses.

As work begins at 4 a.m. on April 10, 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 10. As load 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.

“Before switching everything back, we’ll evaluate temperatures and load,” says MLEC District Manager Matthew Chessor. “Conditions must be ‘just right’ to power all these areas from one substation. If temperatures are too hot or cold, power demand will increase, so we’ll hold shifting load back until late night or early morning.”

MLEC will watch the forecast closely leading up to April 10, and work will be postponed to April 11, if load shifting is not an option. 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 call MLEC at 931-729-3558.

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