Utilities prepare equipment for quick response to severe winter storm
As Winter Storm Elliott makes its way across the country, electric utilities from the Midwest to the East Coast are preparing for what meteorologists are calling a “once in a generation” weather event.
Weather analysts are predicting the winter storm will continue to travel east Thursday, having already left snow and frigid temperatures in the western United States. Snow and rain accumulations will vary, but wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour and falling temperatures have led governors in several states, including Georgia, Oklahoma and Kentucky, to declare a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm.
In Chicago, ComEd said it was deploying additional crews and equipment to respond to potential power outages from the 6 to 12 inches of snow and high winds predicted to hit northern Illinois from Thursday night through Friday.
“We are positioning our people and equipment to respond quickly and safely to any interruptions that result from this snowstorm,” said Terry Donnelly, president and COO of ComEd. “We realize that any interruption is an inconvenience to our customers, especially during the holidays. Avoiding power outages and restoring service quickly is critical. We have strengthened our system over the years to reduce the impacts a storm like this can have on our customers.”
ComEd said grid investments it has made since 2021 should help with overall grid reliability, but cautioned that power outages could occur. If they do, the company said, the priority would be to restore critical facilities like police and fire stations, nursing homes and hospitals first.
In Ohio, AEP Ohio said that the anticipated conditions could delay responses to power outages. Extremely cold temperatures, snow and winds over 50 miles an hour are expected there through the holiday weekend. The company said customers should make a plan for what to do if they lose power for an extended period of time, as poor road conditions, wind gusts and extreme wind chills could cause restoration delays.
“We know customers are anxious about whether or not their power will be impacted by the storm, especially as many are gathering to celebrate the holidays,” said Marc Reitter, president and chief operating officer of AEP Ohio. “In the event of power outages, please know our crews will restore power as quickly and safely as possible. It’s important for customers to be prepared too.”
The safety of crew members was as important as the safety of customers, the company said. When wind gusts reach 30 miles per hour, crews can’t safely put bucket trucks up in the air which could lead to service restoration delays.
In North Carolina, Duke Energy said it was continuing to monitor the storm and prepare for any outages.
“While there is never a good time to be without power, we recognize that the possibility of outages over the holidays is particularly worrisome for the customers and communities we serve,” said Jason Hollifield, Carolinas Storm Director. “Our crews are prepared and will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power when outages occur.”
In Connecticut, Eversource said it was collaborating with community leaders and activating its Municipal Hub to allow for close coordination with the communities it serves during the storm. The hub, the company said, will provide community leaders with ways to report blocked roads and outages at critical facilities.
“We recognize the timing of this storm, right before Christmas, is less than ideal and we’re taking all necessary actions now so our team is ready to respond to whatever this storm may bring,” said President of Eversource Connecticut Steve Sullivan. “We’ll have crews prepositioned at our work centers throughout the state before the storm hits so they can immediately get to any damage locations and restore power as quickly as possible. Our employees who work in the field and behind the scenes are ready to give up their holiday time off to ensure our customers can enjoy their Christmas weekend.”
In Vermont, Green Mountain Power (GMT) has kept crews in the state that were there helping to restore power during the Nor’easter last week that brought damaging heavy wet snow and outages to Vermont. GMP said it was tracking forecasts to prepare for possible very high winds gusting up to 65 MPH across Vermont starting Thursday night.
“We had tripled our field force before that storm. And we are keeping folks here to serve our customers in preparation for the severe weather currently forecasted for late tomorrow night. Altogether, over 400 lineworkers, along with hundreds more GMP field operations workers are available as needed,” said Mike Burke, VP of Field Operations for GMP.
