Arkansas Valley Electric in partnership with the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas asks members to voluntarily limit the use of electric service immediately and through midnight Tuesday in order to ensure that electric service is not interrupted.
AVECC and AECC members are urged to reduce the use of electrical requirements by limiting the use of non-essential electricity and appliances, especially electric water heaters, clothes dryers, and dishwashers, and to turn heating thermostats to lower settings.
Due to the extremely cold weather and the unusually high requirement for electricity, electric cooperatives and other electric utilities across Arkansas and surrounding states have reached a point where electricity demand has nearly exceeded the capacity.
The cooperative emphasizes that voluntary cooperation is essential. If voluntary reductions are not sufficient to maintain continuity of service, it may be necessary to begin interruption of electric service to specific areas for limited time periods. It is not presently anticipated that this type of rotating curtailments will be necessary.
Cooperative representatives are also directly contacting large and commercial users asking for their cooperation as well.
The interconnections of electric systems frequently make it possible for one system to secure additional electricity from neighboring systems. However, the present extreme cold weather is widespread in the Arkansas region, making the strain on the electric grid much higher than normal. Thus, conservation of energy is important to help ensure continuous electric service.
Your local electric cooperative will continue to keep the public advised of further developments concerning voluntary reductions of electric power.