IronBits
07-08-2004, 08:02 PM
Power companies: Brace for possible blackouts
Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 6, 2004 07:19 PM
Residents and businesses can brace themselves for weeks - maybe months - of voluntary power conservation and possible blackouts as a result of the massive fire at a power substation near Sun City.
The power supply squeeze is similar to the effect on traffic of a major freeway being shut down at rush hour.
Governments are instructing employees to turn up the thermostats and turn off the lights. Businesses appear to be following suit. Tuesday passed without any forced outages, but supply was tight for parts of the day, said Arizona Public Service Co. spokesman Alan Bunnell.
He cautioned that there would be more challenges as power demands rise today, Thursday and Friday.
The Westwing station, jointly owned by APS and Salt River Project, is one of four portals where outside power enters the Valley. The utilities estimate that the fire cut the Valley's import capability by up to 20 percent at a time of high demand.
The massive transformers that were destroyed take time to manufacture, sending APS scouring nationally and internationally for utilities that have spares.
"We're working with suppliers, but it could be a prolonged situation," Bunnell said.
To compound the worry, wildfires are threatening two other key transmission lines that supply the Valley. The Jacket fire near Flagstaff and the Willow fire near Payson both have lines in their paths.
While investigators believe a recent Palo Verde shutdown and Westwing fire were due to equipment failures and not foul play or sabotage, they emphasize how vulnerable the Valley's power supply is to problems with lesser components such as substations and transmission lines.
APS is bringing in outside investigators to determine the cause of the Westwing fire.
The Office of Homeland Security and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also visited the Westwing site.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0706power-ON.html
:cry:
Max Jarman
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 6, 2004 07:19 PM
Residents and businesses can brace themselves for weeks - maybe months - of voluntary power conservation and possible blackouts as a result of the massive fire at a power substation near Sun City.
The power supply squeeze is similar to the effect on traffic of a major freeway being shut down at rush hour.
Governments are instructing employees to turn up the thermostats and turn off the lights. Businesses appear to be following suit. Tuesday passed without any forced outages, but supply was tight for parts of the day, said Arizona Public Service Co. spokesman Alan Bunnell.
He cautioned that there would be more challenges as power demands rise today, Thursday and Friday.
The Westwing station, jointly owned by APS and Salt River Project, is one of four portals where outside power enters the Valley. The utilities estimate that the fire cut the Valley's import capability by up to 20 percent at a time of high demand.
The massive transformers that were destroyed take time to manufacture, sending APS scouring nationally and internationally for utilities that have spares.
"We're working with suppliers, but it could be a prolonged situation," Bunnell said.
To compound the worry, wildfires are threatening two other key transmission lines that supply the Valley. The Jacket fire near Flagstaff and the Willow fire near Payson both have lines in their paths.
While investigators believe a recent Palo Verde shutdown and Westwing fire were due to equipment failures and not foul play or sabotage, they emphasize how vulnerable the Valley's power supply is to problems with lesser components such as substations and transmission lines.
APS is bringing in outside investigators to determine the cause of the Westwing fire.
The Office of Homeland Security and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also visited the Westwing site.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0706power-ON.html
:cry: