ANTIOCH, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Valley Authority revealed Thursday night what led to power blackouts during last month’s extreme cold.

During a town hall meeting in Antioch, hosted by Councilwoman Joy Styles and State Rep. John Ray Clemmons, a TVA representative said sensors froze at its coal plant for the first time ever.

That prevented the TVA from monitoring pressure, which they say is a safety issue. So, they had to shut down their two largest power generators.

On top of that, their purchases of power from other utilities kept getting cut.

Representatives for Nashville Electric Service added that a fire at the Cane Ridge substation complicated matters for many residents of southeast Davidson County. A large contingent of residents was at the meeting Thursday night to find out why their homes suffered more from the rolling blackouts.

The TVA told News 2 the short-term blackouts stopped the grid from collapsing, which could’ve knocked the power out for everyone for multiple days.