Rolling Outages

By Justin Lee

Rolling blackout is not a new term in the utility world. Countries in Europe have been subjected to it routinely over the past several months. We’ve seen it happen during recent summer heatwaves in California and the Texas transmission grid failure in winter 2021. But Cullman Electric Cooperative had never in its 86-year history experienced a rolling blackout prior to Christmas weekend 2022.

On the morning of Dec. 23, 2022, an arctic cold front moved across the southern U.S., and temperatures plummeted to record lows. Our power provider, the Tennessee Valley Authority, was nearing record-high system load with all generation units running as well as purchased power being fed into the TVA grid from outside the valley. Early in the morning, two of the main generating units at TVA’s Cumberland Fossil Plant in northwest Tennessee went offline. The loss of this plant as well as two other small gas generation units, forced TVA to implement its Emergency Load Curtailment Plan (ELCP). As the sun started to rise, temperatures outside did not, and the extreme demand for electricity resulted in TVA escalating from ELCP Step 10 and Step 20 at 8:30 a.m., all the way to Step 50 by 9:30 a.m.

When an ELCP is activated, Step 10 and Step 20 are simple. Step 10 is in-house load reduction. That’s when the co-op turns off the lights in the hallways and cuts back the thermostats a few degrees. Step 20 is a public appeal for voluntary load reduction. The communications team will contact our local media and post energy-savings tips on social media. ELCP Step 10 and Step 20 are rarely activated but happen on occasion during the hottest summer days or on very cold winter mornings.

Step 50 — when rolling blackouts begin — had never before been issued by TVA. At Cullman EC on the morning of Dec. 23, the Step 50 notification called for a five percent reduction to get through the morning peak. We were able to cover this reduction thanks to the quick response of several large industrial customers including Cullman Castings, Rehau, Topre, Tyson, and Louisiana Pacific. These quick actions are the sole reason Cullman EC residential members did not see rolling outages that morning, while some of our neighboring co-ops in North Alabama were not so lucky.

TVA staff worked around the clock to restore Cumberland in hopes that Step 50 could be avoided the next day; however, during the night their purchased power from outside of the valley was curtailed due to similar issues in other parts of the country.

Cullman EC was notified around 4 a.m. on Christmas Eve that another ELCP Step 50 was imminent. Engineering and operations staff reported to the office, and by 5:30 a.m. the call came through, this time requiring a 10 percent reduction of system load. Using our internal Step 50 protocols — which are reviewed and updated every year — we immediately initiated our in-house schedule for rolling blackouts.

This was a situation no one ever wants to face, but the good news is our emergency response plan worked. By the end of the rolling blackout at 11 a.m., Cullman EC had rolled 40 station breakers in just over five hours, affecting over 33,000 member accounts. Most members experienced a power outage that lasted no longer than 20 to 25 minutes. In the process, Cullman Electric did its part to prevent any longterm blackouts across the TVA system.

At Cullman EC, we have have already identified several ways to make our emergency response plan better both operationally and systematically. We will continue to plan, upgrade, maintain, and improve our system, so we are prepared for the days we hope will never come.n

Cullman EC pays $1.4 million in property tax to county governments

Property taxes are a major source of funding for city and county government, and each year Cullman Electric Cooperative is one of the top contributors in Cullman County.

In December of 2022, Cullman EC paid property taxes of $1,404,716 to the four counties that are part of its service area. The co-op paid $1,178,373 to Cullman County, $192,115 to Winston County, $30,420 to Morgan County and $3,808 to Lawrence County.

“Some people think that electric co-ops are completely tax exempt, and as you can see, that’s not true,” said Tim Culpepper, Cullman EC’s CEO. “Paying taxes is part of being a good corporate citizen, and we’re glad to do our part.”

In Cullman County, almost half of all property tax goes toward education, with some going to the state, while the rest is distributed to Cullman City and Cullman County schools. In Cullman County, 32 percent of property taxes go to the county, 22 percent to the county general fund and eight percent toward roads and bridges. All of the cities and municipalities in the county also receive some funding through property taxes.

The co-op pays property taxes on all of its facilities. In addition to its offices and substations, that includes all of the poles, wire, transformer and other equipment located across each county that is required to deliver electricity to the co-op’s 46,000 member accounts.

Laundry for Less:

Full loads = fewer cycles

Run washers and dryers in the evenings, during non-peak hours. Energy.gov

Cullman Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at https://www. usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-a-program-discrimination-complaint, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.

Contact Information

Office locations

Cullman - headquarters 1749 Eva Road NE Cullman, AL 35055

Addison - branch office 31132 US Hwy 278 West Addison, AL 35540

Phone 256-737-3200 (main business number) 800-242-1806 (toll free) 256-737-3201 (report an outage)

Website & Social Media www.cullmanec.com

Follow Cullman Electric Cooperative on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @cullmanec

Payment Options

Draft

Pay your bill by automatic draft from your checking account or credit card

Online

Payments may be made 24 hours a day by check, credit card or debit card on our website at www.cullmanec.com

Kiosks

Payments may be made 24 hours a day at Cullman EC’s offices on Eva Road and in Addison. The kiosk located at Hopper’s Family Market in Fairview is available during regular business hours

By Mail Cullman Electric Cooperative PO Box 2303 Cullman, AL 35056-2303

Night Deposit

Available at both office locations

At Cullman EC, we are committed to the communities we serve and know an investment in the next generation will help build a better world for everyone. This is why every year we award several high-school seniors in our area a scholarship that can be used toward any college institution they wish to attend. Here’s how to apply:

• Visit https://cullmanec.com/collegescholarships and fill out an application.

• Include official transcripts, activity list, an essay and two recommendation letters.

• Submit your application before the deadline in order to be considered.

DEADLINE TO APPLY IS FEB. 24TH