Found a reference on electric utility problems that was not pablum from the industry PR. Seems a lot of utilities are having to replace "digital control units" directly related to power generation. This is significant because the industry that supports these changes can only produce enough for maybe 10-15% of the entire industry. I think some of the bad news is beginning to leak. Rick Cowles sounds genuinely desperate in his recent open letter to the industry. He is privy to some information that he can't directly publish. I was starting to think that power generation might be basically okay and that the problems would arise mostly in transmission and control. Guess not.I think I just went from a 8 to a 9.

http://www.euy2k.com/note.htm

On Sunday, Oct. 18, the Syracuse Herald American newspaper had Y2K as their front page lead article, with another full page of reporting inside. The paragraphs which dealt with details at Niagara Mohawk (NIMO) are:

"Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. has already identified digital comntrol units at some of its generating stations that must be replaced if the facilities are to continue running in 2000. Some of the new devices will not arrive untilmid-1999, because just about every utility in the country has placed a similarorder, NIMO spokesman Gerald Rockower said."

-- R. D..Herring (drherr@erols.com), October 27, 1998

Answers

For your reference, if I remember Correctly, and Arewin can correct me, NIMO (or as we used to call it - - - ah, never mind, it's politically INCORRECT)is a LARGE part of PASNY (or NYPAS depends on your date of familiarity).

PASNY happens to be one of the largest HYDRO generator groups in the country, with the dams in the St. Lawrence and Racquet Rivers and at Niagra Falls.

So much for Hydro not being a real problem (scratch a nice assumption!).

CR

PS NIMO also imports a HUGE quantity of power from Quebec Hydro for shippment to NYC via a 765KV line through Massena and Herkimer (with a small tap for Alcoa, GM, and I forget who else in Massena.

c

-- Chuck a Night Driver (rienzoo@en.com), October 27, 1998.

You may already know about this, but picked this up last week from the Kansas City Star Newspaper -- Countdown to Y2K -- http:// www.kcstar.com/y2k/:

UTILITY SHUTDOWN: On Oct. 15, City Utilities in Springfield, Mo., plans to become one of the first utilities to test itself. It will shut down its Southwest Power Plant for two weeks to scour the station for Y2K problems. Maintenance supervisor Gary Stueve reports the plant has identified 215 systems that could have problems.

That could become a scary proposition if the plant were to fail on Jan. 1, 2000. One prediction says that if only 15 percent of all power plants suffer a Y2K shutdown, the nation's entire power grid will fail.

Once the Springfield plant is checked for bugs, clocks will be set to Jan. 1, 2000, to see what happens. The utility also is making worst- case plans to stockpile a three-month supply of coal to generate its own power and remove itself from the national grid.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 27, 1998.

Thanks Chuck for the additional info - didn't know that association. Thanks Diane. I believe I read on a Cowles' report about 6 weeks ago that an estimate for the NE grid was that it required 96% of its plants to be up at any one time inorder to avoid importing power via a DC-DC bridge off another grid (presuming its available). Also, the Springfield report is inconsistent with the happy face reports from most of the other utilities. Anything special about that plant? (Is it a very new or very old plant, hydro?/coal?/Nuke?)

-- R. D..Herring (drherr@erols.com), October 27, 1998.

I still can't figure out what Cowles meant by that 96% figure. Maybe I should just ask him. Coal fired plants generally are down about 10- 20% of the time for maintainence - so the 96% figure doesn't make a lot of sense. There is a lot more redundancy in the system than that. I think they mean 96% of some optimal or minimum figure - and I have no idea what that figure is.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), October 28, 1998.

Diane wrote --

UTILITY SHUTDOWN: On Oct. 15, City Utilities in Springfield, Mo., plans to become one of the first utilities to test itself. It will shut down its Southwest Power Plant for two weeks to scour the station for Y2K problems. Maintenance supervisor Gary Stueve reports the plant has identified 215 systems that could have problems.

--

Diane or anyone else who would know....If this was supposed to have occured on October 15th, then a 2 week testing period would be ending like any day now. Anyone hear the results as to how they are making out? This information should be available pretty soon you would think hope.

-- Craig (craig@ccinet.ab.ca), October 28, 1998.

City Utilities and Springfield, Mo., Southwest Power Plant Y2K Utility Test Follow-Trough

Craig & R.D. this was the specifice link i found. Last night I sent an e-mail to the reporters and a copy to you R. D. -- I havent heard back from them yet. -- Diane

===

FINN BULLERS DAVID HAYES

Hey guys, down under this Note page you mentioned:

Notes from the land of Y2k compliance By FINN BULLERS and DAVID HAYES - Staff Writers Date: 10/09/98 13:00

http://www.kcstar.com/item/pages/y2k.pat,business/30da6e51.a09,.html

From the news that didn't make it into the newspaper department:

UTILITY SHUTDOWN: On Oct. 15, City Utilities in Springfield, Mo., plans to become one of the first utilities to test itself. It will shut down its Southwest Power Plant for two weeks to scour the station for Y2K problems. Maintenance supervisor Gary Stueve reports the plant has identified 215 systems that could have problems.

That could become a scary proposition if the plant were to fail on Jan. 1, 2000. One prediction says that if only 15 percent of all power plants suffer a Y2K shutdown, the nation's entire power grid will fail.

Once the Springfield plant is checked for bugs, clocks will be set to Jan. 1, 2000, to see what happens. The utility also is making worst- case plans to stockpile a three-month supply of coal to generate its own power and remove itself from the national grid.

===

Do you have any follow-up information on the piece. Like what type of plant it is? Is it a very new or very old plant? Hydro? Coal? Nuke? How the testing is going?

Thanks, Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 28, 1998.

Received the following e-mail response:

Dear Diane --

Thanks for your interest in the column. We will be revisiting the utility at the end of the testing period to see what was discovered. Please keep in touch as othe questions pop up. David and I have found it useful to hear from readers to help shape future coverage.

Finn

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), October 28, 1998.

Chuck, I don't know if you're a NiMo customer, but have you seen anything from them about their selling off most of their hydro-plants in up-state New York?

I read an article a couple of months ago that said they were selling most of the smaller hydro sites in two or three regional sets. Although the article said the action was due to de-regulation, I told my husband I thought they were unloading them to free themselves from liability. The latest bill insert said they were working on the problem, but, of course, they can't be held responsible if the fossile fuel suppliers don't bring the fuels... I figure, what will they say if the hydro plants don't function; the suppliers didn't bring the water?

I think it's going to be REALLY easy to see the stars next winter.

-- Arewyn (nordic@northnet.net), October 29, 1998.

Arewyn, >I read an article a couple of months ago that said they were selling most of the smaller hydro sites in two or three regional sets.<

Other power co's are also selling their generating plants. Montana Power received bids and will decide by end of year.

Detroit Edison, I think, also wants to sell.

Who is bying?

-- end (caught@net.net), October 29, 1998.