Hurricane Irene wasn’t as bad as predicted. When it hit most of the East Coast, it was a lower category hurricane, or even a tropical storm, than originally feared would smack into the beach communities aligned along the Atlantic.
But, since we still have most of our power strung into the sky, category 1 winds still do a ton of damage to the power infrastructure.
Eastern utilities have been working nonstop since Irene blew threw to get power back on to millions of Americans.
Dominion had a goal of restoring service to 75 percent of their customers today, Aug. 31st. As of 11 a.m., they’d flipped the switch for 77 percent (or more than 920,000 customers) in Virginia and North Carolina.
That took a lot of work at about 8,500 locations---and that’s just for Dominion.
FirstEnergy has turned the lights back on for 770,000 customers so far in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. About 150,000 customers are still in the dark: 130,000 with JCP&L in Jersey, 21,000 with Met-Ed and 2,000 with Penelec. (They have a great image gallery of hurricane work available for viewing at their website: www.firstenergycorp.com/newsroom/hurricane_image_gallery.html.)
But, while winds blew lines aloft and snapped poles, problems weren't reserved to just the delivery side of the power equation. Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Plant suffered damage from the hurricane, though repairs are nearly complete, according to Constellation Energy.
What often complicated the repair process is road damage in many places, especially flood-ravaged Vermont. But, the Associated Press is reporting that some roads have been opened to previously isolated communities, allowing emergency vehicles, like a convoy of power trucks, to move into the area. (The convoy is headed to Rochester right now.)
Given that we started this week with a bold CNN headline about millions without power, I am amazed at how quickly well trained crews and good response teams can move a disaster impacting millions to one impacting thousands in just a few days. Their work in the aftermath of the storm should be commended. That’s efficiency in action.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Hurricanes on the horizon
It’s that time of year again---the time of year when we give friendly names to large storms with terribly deadly gusts of wind. It’s hurricane season in the Atlantic. Now, honestly, it’s been hurricane season for awhile now---since June 1. But things normally get up and running full speed about now, as Hurricane Irene, which is expected to reach category 4 status any day, can attest to.
Now, Irene isn’t forecast to hit Florida, which I like to call Land of the Hurricanes (though they refuse to put that on their tourist brochures for some reason). But, the 2011 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updated forecast estimates 14 to 19 named storms this season and 7 to 10 hurricanes. The last hurricane to make landfall---which basically means the eye of the storm hits land, not its edges---in the U.S. was Ike in 2008, and, while last year saw a lot of activity in the Atlantic, nothing actually hit us. Still, as those boy scouts tell us, it’s always good to be prepared.
Whatever the final number, the locals with Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) are bound to be ready for the first one to wander across Florida this season or next. Founded in 1901, KUA is Florida's sixth largest community-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 64,000 customers in Osceola County. Each year, that local electric company prepares a hurricane handbook. This year’s comes in full color and even in Spanish.
The comprehensive guide gives a nice list of local utility, cable, gas, weather, transport and emergency numbers along with its practical preparation advice. (I’d love for my local AEP affiliate to have a similar tornado guide, actually. That would be quite handy.)
After all, how many of us really have items prepared for emergencies? We talk about it, but we rarely get around to doing it. That's back burner stuff. We have more pressing problems. Granted, after the ice storm of 2007 here in Tulsa knocked out my power for nine days, I do now have things like lots of candles and a stack of canned goods in my cabinets. But, KUA challenges you to be über prepared.
1.) Have an inventory of your property (with pictures, if possible).
2.) Have an indoor safety plan so you remember which areas of your house could be dangerous during a storm. (Here's the advice of a farm girl who has seen a lot of tornadoes: Stay away from window.)
3.) Have an outdoor safety plan (to keep those potted plants from becoming flying weapons).
4.) Have a financial plan in case you need to stay in a hotel for awhile or need to be able to access cash for repairs quickly.
5.) Have that traditional disaster kit (that’s where my candles and canned goods come in).
6.) Have a plan to secure your house (and the supplies stored somewhere on your property).
7.) Have an evacuation plan.
The guide even has advice for rescuing and securing pets and cleaning up after the storm, including the proper use of a generator, along with a layman’s guide on how the utility restores power.
You can download a copy of the guide from their website: http://www.kua.com/hurricane/2011-Osceola-Hurricane-Handbook.pdf
With the exception of the local emergency numbers that would only apply to Florida, the guide could be handy for anyone weathering a storm. And, these days, it seems like more and more of us are experiencing extreme weather---whether those storms are named or anonymous.
Now, Irene isn’t forecast to hit Florida, which I like to call Land of the Hurricanes (though they refuse to put that on their tourist brochures for some reason). But, the 2011 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) updated forecast estimates 14 to 19 named storms this season and 7 to 10 hurricanes. The last hurricane to make landfall---which basically means the eye of the storm hits land, not its edges---in the U.S. was Ike in 2008, and, while last year saw a lot of activity in the Atlantic, nothing actually hit us. Still, as those boy scouts tell us, it’s always good to be prepared.
Whatever the final number, the locals with Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) are bound to be ready for the first one to wander across Florida this season or next. Founded in 1901, KUA is Florida's sixth largest community-owned utility providing electric and telecommunication services to 64,000 customers in Osceola County. Each year, that local electric company prepares a hurricane handbook. This year’s comes in full color and even in Spanish.
The comprehensive guide gives a nice list of local utility, cable, gas, weather, transport and emergency numbers along with its practical preparation advice. (I’d love for my local AEP affiliate to have a similar tornado guide, actually. That would be quite handy.)
After all, how many of us really have items prepared for emergencies? We talk about it, but we rarely get around to doing it. That's back burner stuff. We have more pressing problems. Granted, after the ice storm of 2007 here in Tulsa knocked out my power for nine days, I do now have things like lots of candles and a stack of canned goods in my cabinets. But, KUA challenges you to be über prepared.
1.) Have an inventory of your property (with pictures, if possible).
2.) Have an indoor safety plan so you remember which areas of your house could be dangerous during a storm. (Here's the advice of a farm girl who has seen a lot of tornadoes: Stay away from window.)
3.) Have an outdoor safety plan (to keep those potted plants from becoming flying weapons).
4.) Have a financial plan in case you need to stay in a hotel for awhile or need to be able to access cash for repairs quickly.
5.) Have that traditional disaster kit (that’s where my candles and canned goods come in).
6.) Have a plan to secure your house (and the supplies stored somewhere on your property).
7.) Have an evacuation plan.
The guide even has advice for rescuing and securing pets and cleaning up after the storm, including the proper use of a generator, along with a layman’s guide on how the utility restores power.
You can download a copy of the guide from their website: http://www.kua.com/hurricane/2011-Osceola-Hurricane-Handbook.pdf
With the exception of the local emergency numbers that would only apply to Florida, the guide could be handy for anyone weathering a storm. And, these days, it seems like more and more of us are experiencing extreme weather---whether those storms are named or anonymous.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Thinking about boxes, robots and endless possibilities
We all know that old saying about thinking outside the box. We're supposed to do it. We're supposed to be the only people doing it. People tell us to do it, but do they really mean it? Now, I tend to joke that even the people who use that phrase don't actually want "outside the box" thinking. Not really. Not truly. Instead, they simply want you to paint the same old box a different, shiny color. That's what they mean by all those boxy thoughts.
This week, I spent some time in a very hot and very humid San Antonio preparing for our upcoming Utility Products Conference and Exposition and doing some thinking that's all about a box---well, a box-shaped robot, anyway. I made a special trip to South Texas to discuss details about hanging the Electric Power Research Institute's (EPRI's) transmission robot, Ti, at the show. (More info on Ti can be found by clicking here.)
Ti really is a bit of compact dramatic irony. It's outside-the-box thinking shaped into a very boxy package---a very boxy and very heavy package. It's new cutting edge transmission research wrapped in what we've always traditionally label as an old-fashioned, out-dated concept---that dreaded box. In this case, the box is neither old-fashioned nor out-dated. Instead, it truly represents the newest options for technology in our field. And we are delighted to get to show it off to all of you at the upcoming show.
This week, with the great help of Tom from EPRI's partner Southwest Research, we had some unique thinking about how to properly display and show off that cutting edge box. (Southwest Research helped bring Ti to life, and they're local to the San Antonio area. So, it's great to have them in the mix for logistics.)
Ti will be moving and grooving across the ceiling of the combined DistribuTECH and Utility Products Conf. and Expo exhibit floor Jan. 24, 25 and 26, 2012. Zipping along nearly 90 feet of cable above the heads of show attendees, Ti is poised to be a center attraction at the event, and, with each step closer to the January show, I grow more excited about these robots. (Yep, there will be more than just Ti.)
I hope you guys are equally excited. For more information on the robots and other Utility Products Conf. and Expo attractions, click here.
Speaking of outside-the-box thinking, Davy Crocket is quoted all over the San Antonio area for famously saying "You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas" to his Tennessee political opponents (and then President Andrew Jackson, whose policies he truly hated) before giving his life in a showdown at the Alamo. Perhaps Texas wasn't the best choice for Davy, but it is a great choice for you this coming January. With Ti in the mix, we'll bring outside-the-box thinking directly to the town that lured Crockett.
And, unlike Davy, you can visit the Alamo without planning for a military onslaught this January---though I might suggest prepping for an onslaught of information, data and friendly little robots.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Got the best project in the whole wide world? Tell us all about it.
About three inches below this blurb on the website is a shiny brass icon that says “Projects of the Year.” When you get the time, you should scroll down there and give it a hit.
Once again, it’s time for the editors of POWERGRID International magazine and PennWell Corp. to select the best and brightest grid projects for our annual awards program.
The winners will be selected for four specific categories: Smart Grid Project of the Year, Smart Metering Project of the Year, Demand Response/Energy Efficiency Project of the Year and Renewable Grid Integration Project of the Year.
The awards will be given out during the keynote presentation at the DistribuTECH 2012 conference in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 24, 2012.
Each year, the judges select winners based on five specific criteria:
* Ingenuity
* Scope
* Practicality
* Vision
* Follow-through
Any interested party may submit an entry for consideration by Oct. 28, 2011. One award winning utility company will be named in each category. All companies involved in transmission and/or distribution of electric power are eligible, including investor-owned utilities, federal power agencies, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Also eligible are RTOs, ISOs, independent transmission companies and other T and D-owning/operating entities.
Project/implementation (or significant phases of a phased rollout) must have been completed between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011.
Submit an entry form along with a description of the project/implementation (1,000 words maximum). Project description must include history of the project, project details, major participants (customer, vendor, consultants, etc.), and reasons the project/implementation should be considered for Project of the Year. Include significant dates (contract signing, project start, project completion/go-live date) in the project description.
Award winners will be recognized in an exclusive feature article in POWERGRID International magazine (formerly Utility Automation & Engineering T and D magazine) and Jan. 24-26, 2012 during the DistribuTECH 2012 Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio.
Winning entries will work with a POWERGRID International editor---yeah, OK, it's going to be me; you caught me---to develop the article and award video between the closing Oct. 28, 2011, and the official award ceremony Jan. 24, 2012. High-resolution photos/graphics/artwork (up to 10) and additional details on the project will be required.
For questions, you can contact me directly at kathleend@pennwell.com.
So, tell me all about those groundbreaking projects, that fabulous smart grid work and how you program benefited the consumer. I’m all ears.
Once again, it’s time for the editors of POWERGRID International magazine and PennWell Corp. to select the best and brightest grid projects for our annual awards program.
The winners will be selected for four specific categories: Smart Grid Project of the Year, Smart Metering Project of the Year, Demand Response/Energy Efficiency Project of the Year and Renewable Grid Integration Project of the Year.
The awards will be given out during the keynote presentation at the DistribuTECH 2012 conference in San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 24, 2012.
Each year, the judges select winners based on five specific criteria:
* Ingenuity
* Scope
* Practicality
* Vision
* Follow-through
Any interested party may submit an entry for consideration by Oct. 28, 2011. One award winning utility company will be named in each category. All companies involved in transmission and/or distribution of electric power are eligible, including investor-owned utilities, federal power agencies, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Also eligible are RTOs, ISOs, independent transmission companies and other T and D-owning/operating entities.
Project/implementation (or significant phases of a phased rollout) must have been completed between Dec. 1, 2010, and Dec. 1, 2011.
Submit an entry form along with a description of the project/implementation (1,000 words maximum). Project description must include history of the project, project details, major participants (customer, vendor, consultants, etc.), and reasons the project/implementation should be considered for Project of the Year. Include significant dates (contract signing, project start, project completion/go-live date) in the project description.
Award winners will be recognized in an exclusive feature article in POWERGRID International magazine (formerly Utility Automation & Engineering T and D magazine) and Jan. 24-26, 2012 during the DistribuTECH 2012 Conference & Exhibition in San Antonio.
Winning entries will work with a POWERGRID International editor---yeah, OK, it's going to be me; you caught me---to develop the article and award video between the closing Oct. 28, 2011, and the official award ceremony Jan. 24, 2012. High-resolution photos/graphics/artwork (up to 10) and additional details on the project will be required.
For questions, you can contact me directly at kathleend@pennwell.com.
So, tell me all about those groundbreaking projects, that fabulous smart grid work and how you program benefited the consumer. I’m all ears.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Exelon, Constellation still feel the urge to merge
This past April, Exelon, one of the big-dog power utilities in the U.S., and Constellation Energy announced the desire to join forces. This week, the Public Utility Commission of Texas said they could---at least as far as Texas is concerned. So, one more hurdle jumped in the race to a 2012 merger completion. Despite both of them having generation located in the Lone Star State, it appears the Commission isn’t too concerned that a merger will give them a significant market advantage.
“We are pleased that the PUCT has approved our application,” said Exelon President and COO Christopher M. Crane. “This is a key step toward completing the merger, and we remain on track to do so in the first quarter of 2012.”
“Because Exelon and Constellation both operate in Texas, securing the PUCT’s approval was an important step in completing our merger,” said Constellation Chairman and CEO Mayo A. Shattuck III. “We will remain focused on obtaining the remaining federal and state regulatory approvals and seeing the merger through to completion.”
And Shattuck and Co. will have many more approvals to jump, including A-OKs from the Federal Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Maryland Public Service Commission and the New York Public Service Commission. Plus, they’ve got to get a pat on the back from the shareholders, which they hope to do by the end of this year.
Exelon and Constellation are so dedicated to this merger prospect, that they’ve even created a singular go-to website to the subject: www.exelonconstellationmerger.com.
On that website, you can learn all about the “strategic fit” of the combined companies and the key benefits the merger will achieve. Among the highlights are: increased scale and financial strength (or a “bigger is better” philosophy), a use of “complementary businesses” to grow (once again that “bigger is better” philosophy), more spots across the U.S. (even more of that “bigger is better” philosophy that will have their fingers in 38 states, D.C. and a little bitty bit o’ Canada). “Bigger is better” also spills over into the “enhanced utility platform” discussion (where being the second largest regulated distributor of electric and gas” is super good for customers) and the “clean power” discussion (where those customers also benefit from all that bigness with lots of renewable options).
So, basically, what we’ve learned is: Bigger is better. Gotcha. (Anyone else having AT and T flashbacks?)
And, you know what? That philosophy may indeed be true for Constellation, which is having a bit of a bad time this year. They’ve already lowered their 2011 earnings forecast by a nickel a share because of nuclear issues. And they adjusted their April-June profit down by a dime a share to 76 cents. Shattuck noted that the merger would help them diversify, making the risk of gray areas like nuclear a little less, well, risky. So, perhaps hooking themselves onto the Exelon star can help.
Exelon, unlike Constellation, seems to be having a heck of a good 2011. They raised their range for adjusted operating earnings to $4.05 to $4.25 a share from the $3.90 to $4.25 range. They also revved up the second quarter generation income from last year by about $60 million, are working on their Texas acquisition of natural-gas fired Wolf Hollow and they’ve filed with FERC for the RITE line along the Indiana/Ohio border.
So, the Exelon/Constellation merger keeps chugging along and, so far, it appears that Exelon will remain on top and perhaps pull Constellation up with it. Perhaps bigger really is better.
“We are pleased that the PUCT has approved our application,” said Exelon President and COO Christopher M. Crane. “This is a key step toward completing the merger, and we remain on track to do so in the first quarter of 2012.”
“Because Exelon and Constellation both operate in Texas, securing the PUCT’s approval was an important step in completing our merger,” said Constellation Chairman and CEO Mayo A. Shattuck III. “We will remain focused on obtaining the remaining federal and state regulatory approvals and seeing the merger through to completion.”
And Shattuck and Co. will have many more approvals to jump, including A-OKs from the Federal Regulatory Commission, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Maryland Public Service Commission and the New York Public Service Commission. Plus, they’ve got to get a pat on the back from the shareholders, which they hope to do by the end of this year.
Exelon and Constellation are so dedicated to this merger prospect, that they’ve even created a singular go-to website to the subject: www.exelonconstellationmerger.com.
On that website, you can learn all about the “strategic fit” of the combined companies and the key benefits the merger will achieve. Among the highlights are: increased scale and financial strength (or a “bigger is better” philosophy), a use of “complementary businesses” to grow (once again that “bigger is better” philosophy), more spots across the U.S. (even more of that “bigger is better” philosophy that will have their fingers in 38 states, D.C. and a little bitty bit o’ Canada). “Bigger is better” also spills over into the “enhanced utility platform” discussion (where being the second largest regulated distributor of electric and gas” is super good for customers) and the “clean power” discussion (where those customers also benefit from all that bigness with lots of renewable options).
So, basically, what we’ve learned is: Bigger is better. Gotcha. (Anyone else having AT and T flashbacks?)
And, you know what? That philosophy may indeed be true for Constellation, which is having a bit of a bad time this year. They’ve already lowered their 2011 earnings forecast by a nickel a share because of nuclear issues. And they adjusted their April-June profit down by a dime a share to 76 cents. Shattuck noted that the merger would help them diversify, making the risk of gray areas like nuclear a little less, well, risky. So, perhaps hooking themselves onto the Exelon star can help.
Exelon, unlike Constellation, seems to be having a heck of a good 2011. They raised their range for adjusted operating earnings to $4.05 to $4.25 a share from the $3.90 to $4.25 range. They also revved up the second quarter generation income from last year by about $60 million, are working on their Texas acquisition of natural-gas fired Wolf Hollow and they’ve filed with FERC for the RITE line along the Indiana/Ohio border.
So, the Exelon/Constellation merger keeps chugging along and, so far, it appears that Exelon will remain on top and perhaps pull Constellation up with it. Perhaps bigger really is better.
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