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Computer gremlins, confusion preceded big blackout
The Globe and Mail ^
| 9/4/03
| Associated Press
Posted on 09/04/2003 7:50:53 AM PDT by doc30
During the hour before the Aug. 14 power blackout, engineers in the control centre of an Ohio utility struggled to figure out why transmission lines were failing and complained that a computer failure was making it difficult to determine what was going on, transcripts of telephone communications released Wednesday show.
At one point, an engineer at the Midwest grid managing organization asked engineers at the Ohio utility, FirstEnergy Corp., to explain why they had not responded to a line outage reported earlier and asked that they find out what was going on.
"We have no clue. Our computer is giving us fits, too," replied a FirstEnergy technician identified as Jerry Snickey. "We don't even know the status of some of the stuff [power fluctuations] around us."
A short time later, a technician at the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operators, the group that monitors the Midwest power grid, expressed frustration with FirstEnergy's failure to diagnose the problems erupting in their power system.
"I called you guys like 10 minutes ago, and I thought you were figuring out what was going on there," complained the MISO technician, identified as Don Hunter, according to the transcripts.
"Well, we're trying to," Mr. Snickey replied. "Our computer is not happy. It's not co-operating either."
The exchanges were contained in 650 pages of transcripts of telephone communications provided by MISO to investigators for the U.S. House energy and commerce committee and made public by the committee Wednesday at the conclusion of the first day of congressional hearings into the blackout.
Executives of FirstEnergy, as well as other Midwest utilities and Midwest transmission grid managers, were scheduled to testify before the committee Thursday.
Although investigators have said previously that power-line failures in Ohio were the first indication of an electricity grid problem on the afternoon of the blackout, the transcripts for the first time revealed the confusion in the FirstEnergy control centre in Ohio as the utility's engineers sought to get a handle on what was becoming a growing and mysterious power problem.
According to previous timelines made public, the first sign of a problem developed when FirstEnergy's power plant in Eastlake, Ohio, tripped off around 2 p.m. Eastern time on Aug. 14. Next, at 3:06 p.m., one of its transmission lines failed and at 3:32 p.m. another high-voltage line, known as Hanna-Juniper, went dead.
That caught the attention of the MISO engineers monitoring the grid from their control centre.
"I was wondering what's going on there?" Mr. Hunter asked the FirstEnergy control centre shortly after 3:43 p.m. The FirstEnergy engineers were unsure, but Mr. Hunter knew something was amiss.
"I've got to get my calculator," he said.
"We've got something going on," replied a FirstEnergy technician identified only as Schwartz. "I'm going to have to take a look and see what's happening."
TOPICS: Breaking News; Canada; News/Current Events; US: New York; US: Ohio
KEYWORDS: blackout; firstenergy; firstenergycorp; power
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To: Dirk McQuickly
sorry -- the size of this disruption, followed one week later by the unprecedented outage in London is a near-miraculous coincidence by standards of probability. Not at all. You're assuming that they failed for exactly the same reasons.
As for coincidences, you've perhaps heard the old saying that "plane crashes happen in groups of three." And there have been many times in the past that plane crashes have occured in clusters, despite the fact that there was absolutely no connection between them.
Sometimes these things just happen. And when it happens to the newsies in NY, then maybe they just look a little harder for examples of same elsewhere.
61
posted on
09/04/2003 11:34:21 AM PDT
by
r9etb
To: _Jim
I have no doubt you'll still hold to the 'nothing to see here' theory.
But I can't understand how a computer could be giving bad readings...
Unless...unless....
Nah. Nobody would EVER try to hack those SCADAs, would they?
Must've just been a surge that never showed up or something.
Yeah, that's it.
62
posted on
09/04/2003 11:36:45 AM PDT
by
dyed_in_the_wool
(Battle ye not with monsters, lest ye also become a monster.)
To: Dirk McQuickly
load was only 75%...Can you elaborate? 75% of what?
63
posted on
09/04/2003 11:46:04 AM PDT
by
meyer
To: b4its2late
I don't get it.... What does Ross Perot have to do with this?
64
posted on
09/04/2003 11:50:24 AM PDT
by
dangus
To: haywoodwebb
OK... miles davis.
65
posted on
09/04/2003 11:51:04 AM PDT
by
dangus
To: DJ Frisat
>>What?! You don't still have your Y2K generator and emergency water stash? >>
Probably used them all up in the blackout
66
posted on
09/04/2003 11:53:00 AM PDT
by
dangus
To: y2k_free_radical; org.whodat
Plant motorization, I'm assuming, is when a generator is turned into a motor, i.e. consuming electrical energy rather than being used as its intended use--a generator, or source of electrical energy. Whodat could probably explain it better, but a generator probably motors when it is brought online (connected to the grid) without being spun-up first by the turbine (or whatever is driving the generator). The result of motorizing a generator(s) would be to place a load on the power grid and possibly overload it.
67
posted on
09/04/2003 11:53:02 AM PDT
by
randog
(Everything works great 'til the current flows.)
To: Sabertooth
Aaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!
To: menotyu
I wouldn't rule out a disgruntled employee. A disgruntled corporation looking for government money for upgrades to their systems. An 18 computer hacker could also be a good bet.
But within hours of the blackouts (US and London); I wouldn't make blanket statements that it is not terrorism.
After 9/11 we found evidence of pictures and maps of our underground utilities, bridges, and power plants in the possession of terror cells.
69
posted on
09/04/2003 12:00:56 PM PDT
by
all4one
To: doc30
"Well, we're trying to," Mr. Snickey replied. "Our computer is not happy. It's not co-operating either." Never threaten those HAL9000's with disconnection.
To: kinghorse
What if it was a practice run or an event that allowed al qaeda to preposition manpower and some weaponry in the U.S. from, say, Canada? And let's not forget that the outage already deposited some economic loss in its wake (we know that is also al qaeda's plan: to weaken the U.S.).
To: Moonman62
Never threaten those HAL9000's with disconnection.What are you doing, Dave? This is highly irregular... :)
72
posted on
09/04/2003 12:45:43 PM PDT
by
meyer
To: SengirV
. . . DESTROYER that had to get a tow back to port because it's Microsoft Windows NT system blew chunks? I didn't hear about that one. Got any links?
73
posted on
09/04/2003 1:22:28 PM PDT
by
BraveMan
To: Donna Lee Nardo
Probing our systems, just saw this on CNN site;FBI concerned about threat of terror-induced blackouts. wha???
74
posted on
09/04/2003 1:24:11 PM PDT
by
menotyu
(Doomsday Jesus we need you now ! Strength, Merciless Determination Forever)
To: SengirV
Holy Cow, its not like the penguin-folks never experience a kernel-panic, or Macs don't require the funny little bomb icon with the burning fuse. If you put someone with some know-how behind an MS box and they at least give a rip to keep it up to date, so many of these problems can be avoided. One problem is that so many Wintel systems are just bought, plugged in, turned on and left to run (in some cases) vital systems, without any real maintenance by competent IT professionals. Oh well, I'll get off my 'don't bash Micro$oft' soap box now. Take care.
75
posted on
09/04/2003 2:32:57 PM PDT
by
LayoutGuru2
(Call me paranoid but finding '/*' inside this comment makes me suspicious)
To: BraveMan; SengirV
76
posted on
09/04/2003 3:05:12 PM PDT
by
LayoutGuru2
(Call me paranoid but finding '/*' inside this comment makes me suspicious)
To: SamAdams76
Sounds like it might be a good idea to stock up on batteries and non-perishables the night of Sept. 10.Not a bad idea. Wish I could afford a generator, though.
Comment #78 Removed by Moderator
To: LayoutGuru2
CNNBSOD
79
posted on
09/04/2003 3:17:15 PM PDT
by
LayoutGuru2
(Call me paranoid but finding '/*' inside this comment makes me suspicious)
To: RoseofTexas; menotyu; SamAdams76; concerned about politics; all4one; Badabing Badaboom; ...
80
posted on
09/04/2003 3:44:57 PM PDT
by
LayoutGuru2
(Call me paranoid but finding '/*' inside this comment makes me suspicious)
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