Con-Ed's, Department of Energy's, and other Government Press Releases...

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Department of Energy, coordinated by Deputy Secretary Kyle McSlarrow, has initiated its protocol for contingency situations. DOE is working with appropriate agencies including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as entities such as the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) to assess the situation.

http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=13991&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE

NRC MONITORING SITUATION INVOLVING MULTIPLE NUCLEAR PLANTS SHUT DOWN DUE TO GRID INSTABILITIES

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been informed that the following nuclear power plants shut down today due to grid instabilities:

Indian Point 2 and 3 (in New York) Perry (in Ohio) Fermi (in Michigan) Ginna (in New York) FitzPatrick (in New York) Oyster Creek (in N.J.) Nine Mile Point 1 and 2 (in New York)

All plants are in a safe condition, using their emergency diesel generators where appropriate. NRC resident inspectors will continue to monitor the situation at the affected plants.

The NRC is monitoring the situation from its Regional and Headquarters Operations Center. Acting Chairman Merrifield is in contact with other federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security.

We have begun the careful process to restore our system as power becomes available.

To avoid damage to our equipment, we must proceed methodically. We also urge people to turn all of their appliances to the "off" position.

Con Edison serves 3.1 million customers in New York City and Westchester County.

The Department of Energy is responsible for meeting the nation's energy and national security challenges. In fulfillment of that mission the Department has released a Draft Strategic Plan which charts the course for the next 25 years - focusing our capabilities to meet today's needs and provide innovative solutions to tomorrow's challenges.

http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=13985&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE

I am pleased to present the draft of the Department of Energy's 2003 Strategic Plan.

The Department of Energy is responsible for meeting the Nation's energy and national security challenges. This Strategic Plan charts the course for the next 25 years - focusing our capabilities to meet today's needs and provide innovative solutions to tomorrow's challenges.

Public comment is an important component in developing this Plan and I invite you to view the draft version of the Plan and provide comment. Please respond by September 8th to allow ample time for us to consider your views.

Also, for your convenience, you may provide comments by e-mail to StrategicPlan@hq.doe.gov.

We are continuing to restore power to our customers in New York City and Westchester County. Portions of the southeast Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester County and most of Staten Island have been restored.

In order to avoid damaging our system's critical and sensitive electrical equipment, we must balance the available energy supply with customer demand. We are asking customers who have power to postpone using major appliances such as washers, dryers, air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment. We also ask customers who are waiting for power to turn all of their appliances to the "off" position.

The company is in constant communication with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Office of Disaster and Emergency Services.

We are continuing to restore power to our customers in New York City and Westchester County. Portions of the southeast Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Westchester County and most of Staten Island have been restored.

It is expected that today’s temperature will climb into the 90s. We urge customers with power to refrain from using major appliances. We ask customers still waiting for power to turn all of their appliances to the "off" position. These steps will help to ensure that power restoration proceeds smoothly for all of our customers.

The company continues to communicate with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Office of Disaster and Emergency Services.

NERC Historic Blackout table (in PDF): ftp://www.nerc.com/pub/sys/all_updl/docs/misc/BlackoutTable.pdf

NERC's Latest Press Release (6am) (in PDF): ftp://www.nerc.com/pub/sys/all_updl/docs/pressrel/8-14-19-outage-announcement5.pdf

August 15, 2003 Department of Energy Issues Emergency Order to Restore Power Federal Response to Thursday's Blackout

WASHINGTON, DC – Late Thursday evening, Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham directed the New York and New England Independent System Operators (ISOs) to activate, if necessary, the Cross Sound Cable connecting Shoreham, Long Island and New Haven, Connecticut. This order will allow power to flow on the Cross Sound Cable between the two states. Activation of this 330 megawatt cable will help stabilize voltage between the two states and enable electricity to flow quickly when the generation system is operable, reducing the time needed for full restoration and reliable operation of the electric system.

"I hereby determine that an emergency exists due to a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the transmission of electric energy and other causes, and that issuance of this order will alleviate the emergency and serve the public interest." The cable will allow electricity to flow in either direction between Long Island and Connecticut as needed.

The Secretary’s order will be effective until September 1, 2003 or modified as the situation warrants.

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 824a(c), and section 301(b) of the Department of Energy Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. 7151(b), I hereby determine that an emergency exists due to a shortage of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the generation of electric energy, a shortage of facilities for the transmission of electric energy and other causes, and that issuance of this order will alleviate the emergency and serve the public interest. Based on this determination, I hereby order:

From the effective date and time of this order until 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, September 1, 2003, or until such earlier or later time as I may order, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and ISO New England, Inc. (NEISO) are directed to require Cross-Sound Cable Company, LLC (CSC) to operate the Cross-Sound Cable and related facilities connecting substations in New Haven, Connecticut and Shoreham, Long Island, New York, when the NYISO and NEISO determine it necessary to alleviate the current disruptions in electric transmission service, to transmit and deliver electric capacity and/or energy when, as and in such amounts as may be scheduled and purchased, and to take such actions as are necessary in order to enable it to do so, including but not limited to energizing and continuing to energize the facilities of CSC to transmit and deliver electric capacity and/or energy from Long Island to Connecticut or from Connecticut to Long Island, all in accordance with the operating and scheduling protocols of the NYISO and NEISO. The NYISO and NEISO must mutually agree prior to issuing any directive to CSC pursuant to this order, and are directed to consult with each other and with appropriate reliability organizations to ensure that all actions pursuant to this order, and the scheduling of such electric capacity and/or energy, will not violate system operating criteria. If necessary, just and reasonable terms for the transmission and delivery of electric capacity and/or energy pursuant to this order, including the compensation therefor, shall be established by a supplemental order issued pursuant to Federal Power Act section 202(c).

http://www.energy.gov/engine/content.do?PUBLIC_ID=13992&BT_CODE=PR_PRESSRELEASES&TT_CODE=PRESSRELEASE

From Cross-Sound's Webstie (how ironic):

""Shortage of Power Lines Looms
U.S. Consumers Face Higher Prices"

"The nationwide move toward deregulated and restructured electric power service, experts say, is being undermined by a growing weakness in the U.S. electrical grid system: a shortage of high-voltage transmission lines. But long-distance power transmission can be essential in a deregulated system, by increasing competitive offers for customers. "

If New York catches the California virus, analysts and regulators agree, there will be a dramatic demonstration of the nation’s power transmission weaknesses …"

The Washington Post
February 20, 2001, p. 1A

"The Real Threat to America’s Power"

"Sure, California is suffering from a generator shortage - but overloaded power lines pose a much greater risk of blowing the fuses of the national economy.

If the California crisis is a heart attack, the clogging of the transmission grid is the atherosclerosis that precedes it…The common wisdom is that bad planning and bungled deregulation caused too few generators to be built as demand for electricity soared. That is true. But zoom up high enough to look down on the whole grid…and you’ll see the deeper problem of grid congestion at work."

Fortune
March 5, 2001, p.137"

http://www.crosssoundcable.com/newscover.htm

"Cross-Sound Cable Company, LLC
May 1, 2003
Jeffrey A. Donahue, Chief Executive Officer of Cross-Sound Cable Company, LLC,
issued the following statement in response to Connecticut Attorney General Richard
Blumenthal’s statement regarding today’s ruling by the Connecticut Supreme Court.
“We continue to be puzzled by Attorney General Blumenthal’s claims, which are
contrary to the findings of the relevant state and federal agencies. The decision by the
Connecticut Supreme Court is not a ruling on the legal issues. Further, the Connecticut
Siting Council never found that electric rates would increase as a result of the cable. To
the contrary, the Council found that the cable would enhance a competitive market,
which could lower rates. Both the Army Corps of Engineers and the Connecticut
Department of Environmental Protection have established that operation of the cable
poses no environmental impact.”"

http://www.google.com.au/search?q=cache:ru87-AqQMfAJ:www.crosssoundcable.com/pdf/JADstatement05-01-03.pdf+%22Cross-Sound+Cable+Company%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Niagara Mohawk Restores Power to Customers Across State

SYRACUSE, NY, August 15, 2003 —Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid company, announced late Thursday evening that power has been restored to customers across its service area who were affected by the major outage that swept the Northeastern U.S. earlier in the day. At the height of the outage, approximately 1.25 million of the company's 1.5 million electricity customers were without power.

Niagara Mohawk will continue to work with government officials, regulators and other utilities in gathering and analyzing data so that the root cause of the outages can be determined.

In the meantime, the company continues to ask its customers to reduce all unnecessary electricity usage so that adequate electricity supply can be preserved across the state.

Steps that residential customers can take are:

* Use fans instead of air conditioners to cool homes.
* If fans are not an option, set air conditioners at higher temperatures.
* Close shades and blinds to keep homes cooler.
* Limit use of major appliances such as electric stoves, dishwashers, and clothes dryers.
* Turn off unnecessary lights.

Niagara Mohawk, a National Grid company, provides electric service to approximately 1.5 million customers and natural gas service to approximately 540,000 customers in upstate New York. The company is based in Syracuse. Its parent company also has electricity distribution operations in New England.

http://www.niagaramohawk.com/outage.html

Con Edison Media Relations
Contact: Michael Clendenin
Telephone: (212) 460-4111

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2003

STATEMENT FROM CON EDISON

Con Edison's power restoration continued through the night, with electricity returned to nearly 1.5 million of its 3.1 million customers by 8:30 a.m. today. There is now power to all of Staten Island, more than half of Westchester County and the Bronx, and parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.

With today's weather forecast for continued hot and humid weather, we are urging customers with power to defer the use of major appliances. People still waiting for their power to be restored should turn all appliances to the "off" position to help ensure a smooth restoration process.

The company remains in close contact with the New York City Office of Emergency Management and the Westchester County Office of Disaster and Emergency Services.

http://www.conedison.com/inews.htm

***

Con Edison Media Relations
Contact: Michael Clendenin
Telephone: (212) 460-4111

For Immediate Release: August 15, 2003

STATEMENT FROM CON EDISON

At the direction of the New York Independent System Operator, we have had to reduce power to some parts of our service area. The situation remains fluid. We continue to urge all customers whose power has been restored to avoid using large appliances and for people without power to turn appliances to the "off" position to avoid further problems.

http://www.conedison.com/inews.htm

***

NRC CONTINUES TO MONITOR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
IN SHUT-DOWN IN PREPARATION FOR RESTART

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission continues to monitor nine nuclear power plants shut down yesterday afternoon due to grid instabilities. All the plants are in a stable, safe condition.

Rumors late last night that there was a fire at one of the Pennsylvania nuclear plants are not correct.

The NRC is monitoring plant recovery efforts and status from its Headquarters and Regional offices. Inspectors are at the affected sites providing around-the-clock coverage. Acting Chairman Jeffrey Merrifield is directing NRC actions and is in contact with other federal officials, including the Department of Homeland Security.

The nine affected plants are FitzPatrick, Ginna, Indian Point Units 2 and 3 and Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 in New York; Oyster Creek in New Jersey; Perry in Ohio; and Fermi in Michigan. The Davis Besse plant in Ohio lost offsite power as a result of the grid problems, but was already shut down for other reasons.

All the plants declared "unusual events" except Oyster Creek, which did not lose offsite power but automatically shut down due to the grid instabilities. An unusual event is the lowest of four classes of emergency, and means an incident is in process or has occurred indicating a potential degradation of plant safety. No releases of radioactive material requiring off-site response or monitoring have occurred or are expected.

Safety systems at all the shut-down plants operated successfully, and plants stabilized in a safe shut-down condition. Adequate safety was maintained at all times.

As of 9:00 a.m., offsite power was restored to FitzPatrick, Ginna, Indian Point 2 and 3, and Nine Mile Point 1 and 2, and they exited the unusual event. The remaining plants continue to have onsite backup power.

Similar to non-nuclear facilities, when the grid is lost or significantly degraded, the protective circuits of the nuclear reactor and the turbine generator automatically shut down the plant to protect equipment. Nuclear facilities are designed with backup power sources, typically emergency diesel generators, to provide for onsite needs. These diesels provide power to essential safety systems. These systems ensure that the reactor remains in a safe condition.

The plants have backup power systems to keep the security barriers, monitors and equipment operable. If there are any impacts, the licensees have procedures in place to take manual compensatory measures.

http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2003/03-103.html

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