Blackout: The Conspiracy Theory

IOL/Popular Mechanics ^ | 12-5-2003 | Jim Wilson

[Ronaldus Magnus]

You may well be correct. I just can't see this being an accident in such a low utilization year. Frankly I'm surprised Al Qaeda hasn't done more to attack our infrastructure.

[meyer]

Has everyone read this report?

www.doe.gov/engine/doe/files/dynamic/1282003113351_BlackoutSummary.pdf

I helped write it.

I've read that report a while back, and I also studied the 134 page document that details the sequence of events and the blackout even better. But the report you cite gives a good overview of the start of the event.

I take great interest in this subject as I used to work in FirstEnergy's control center and am quite familiar with their operation. There is no doubt in my mind that this was NOT a terrorist-involved event. Instead, its a combination of bad luck, an overtaxed computer system, lousy communications, role uncertanties, a cheap utility, and very poor vegitation maintenance.

BTW, nice job on the preliminary report. It was quite accurate, except that a couple of lines within the FirstEnergy system were incorrectly highlighted on the drawings within the document. Its a minor criticism, though.

PS - do you by chance know an engineer named Tim from NERC?

[meyer]

Thanks for the Ping, Fury. I've been away for a few days, but I always take an interest in the big blackout. Its so 'close to home' for me!

[John W]

H. Peter Burg

CLEVELAND (AP) - H. Peter Burg, the FirstEnergy Corp. chairman and chief executive who helped defend the electric utility against accusations it caused the nation's largest blackout, died Tuesday of leukemia, a FirstEnergy spokesman said. He was 57.

Under Burg's leadership, the Akron, Ohio-based company that was formed in a 1997 merger became the nation's fifth largest electric utility system.

But Burg and the company became targets of criticism in 2002 after the most extensive corrosion ever at a U.S. nuclear reactor was discovered at the company's Davis-Besse nuclear plant.

FirstEnergy found itself on the defensive again after the 2003 blackout that affected about 50 million people in eight states and Canada.

Burg defended FirstEnergy - telling members of Congress that such a massive failure could not have been caused by isolated power line failures in his system.

Burg had been president and CEO of Ohio Edison, and became CEO of FirstEnergy in 1999. He had also served as chairman since January 2000, except for a brief time as vice chairman after the merger with GPU.

[swarthyguy]

Good Read. SCADA Bump.