MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The President of MLGW said Tuesday that wind gusts and outdated infrastructure were likely to blame for the power outages that hit thousands of customers Monday night.
Memphis, Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) officials said 20,000 customers lost power Monday, Dec. 2, 2024, after multiple circuit breakers were tripped at three substations.
Customers are affected in the Orange Mound, Midtown, and Berclair areas. MLGW said crews had restored power to all customers around 10:45 p.m. Officials said they had most customers' power restored within the hour, and power returned to the rest of the customers within two hours and 30 minutes.
MLGW officials released the following statement on X before restoring the power: "We apologize for the inconvenience to our customers who have lost power, mostly in and around the I-240 loop. MLGW trouble shooters are working to identify the problem so that our crews can restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We’ll continue to share updates in this space once we have more information."
During a Memphis City Council committee meeting Tuesday morning, CEO Doug McGowen told council members a wind gust causing lines to trip was the suspected cause, as well as at least one failed circuit breaker that was 57-years-old. He said that circuit breaker was on the list to be replaced as part of the five-year plan to replace older infrastructure.
McGowen said they have not found any physical damage as of Tuesday morning.
McGowen also said when it comes to tree trimming, over the last 15 months they've completed abut 51% of what was to be completed within three years, so they are ahead of schedule.
ABC24 Meteorologist Trevor Birchett said wind gusts at the time were around 30 mph.
