27. November 2007 by admin.

Two energy experts say West Virginia could be caught in power blackouts if additional electrical transmission plans for the state fall short.

The group, West Virginians for Reliable Power, held a news conference Tuesday in Charleston on the eve of a state Public Service Commission public hearing on Allegheny Energy’s plans for a high voltage transmission line.

WVRP isn’t saying where the line should go, but it does say additional electrical transmission opportunities are needed in West Virginia and surrounding states.

Robert Hinkle works for PJM, the company that oversees the high voltage power grid in 13 states including West Virginia. He says increasing demand across the grid is approximately two percent a year.

“The challenge we’re facing over time here is making sure that enough generation is built to meet the demand of electricity, but that enough distribution infrastructure is built,” he said.

Hinkle says his company and others hope to educate residents of the needs and the danger if nothing is done to increase production.

“We hope that people become comfortable with the need and comfortable with the idea that it’s gotta be built,” he said. “If we don’t build this kind of infrastructure, it’s like neglecting our roads, neglecting our water systems, our sewer systems over time, and we won’t be able to meet the needs of the future.”

The spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, Dan Larcamp, also spoke at Tuesday’s news conference. He says people need to be made conscious that there’s a lot that goes one when they flip a light switch. He says there’s a danger if grid capacity isn’t increased.

“The lines will presumeably become even more congested, and congested lines harbor the possibility of reliability problems,” he said.

Larcamp says peak usage of electricity in West Virginia is expected to go up one percent a year for the next 10 years. He says that could increase the opportunity for blackouts. He says those carry with them a real cost.

From the eastern blackout in August 2003 the Department of Energy estimated the cost of that blackout to society was between 4 and 10 billion dollars.

The state Public Service Commission has conducted several public hearings on the proposed $1.3 billion Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line with additional hearings scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Charleston. Approximately 114 miles of that line would run through parts of northern and eastern West Virginia.

Gov. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) says he hasn’t decided whether to support or stand against the project. He says he has yet to see the real benefit for the state. The line would begin in Washington County, Pa., and end in Loudoun County, Va.

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27. November 2007 by admin.

Repair workers cause core blackout

Another blackout hit downtown London yesterday — but this one was short.

About 30,000 people were in the dark for four minutes during the afternoon power outage, which ran through the downtown and affected St. Joseph’s hospital, Richmond Row and Galleria London.

Nancy Hutton, spokesperson for London Hydro, said Hydro One workers were repairing a transformer when they accidentally knocked out the power. The system was quickly brought back.

Hydro One brings the power feed into London, Hutton explained, while London Hydro then distributes it throughout the city.

In addition to yesterday’s short blip, there have been four large downtown blackouts during the last year — most notably one sparked by the sinkhole that shut down the intersection of Dundas and Wellington streets on Oct. 31.

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27. November 2007 by admin.

EDMONTON - Thousands of north-side residents came home to a blackout today on one of the first cold nights of the season.

The power outage started at about 4:40 p.m. as a result of an underground cable failure, Epcor spokesman Mike Gibbs said. The power came back on shortly after 7 p.m.

It affected about 5,600 homes between 108th and 141st Streets and 137th and 187th Avenues, Gibbs said.

The temperature was -16 C, and felt like -27 C with the windchill.

Edmonton last endured a significant power outage about two weeks ago, when high winds knocked down power lines in several areas. In that case, about 2,500 homes went without electricity for a time.

Gibbs said Epcor advises customers to keep stocks of emergency supplies on hand, particularly during cold weather such as today’s.

He recommended storing flashlights, candles and matches, and blankets. As well he said it’s useful for people to have battery-powered radios so they can catch the progress updates that Epcor provides to radio stations.

Fireplaces, used safely, can also help.

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