Senate hearing examines electric industry’s ability to restore power after system-wide blackouts

Published on October 15, 2018 by Dave Kovaleski


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The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on Oct. 11 to examine blackstart, the process of restoring electricity after a system-wide power loss or blackout, in order to learn about back-up plans the electric utility industry has in place in the event the grid is severely damaged.

“Imagine a day where everybody living within an interconnected electrical system loses power. Hundreds of millions of people would be left in the dark, power lines would no longer be energized, and generating stations would be off,” U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), chair of the committee, said. “It means your lights would be off, your air conditioning would be out, and appliances like your oven, your refrigerator, and your cell phone charger would no longer be working. America cannot operate without electricity service, and we must have plans in place to restore power to our grid.”

There are a variety of threats to the electrical grid, including cyberattacks, electromagnetic pulses, and solar storms, which the federal government and local municipalities must be prepared for in the event of such an emergency. History has also showed that severe weather or other events can lead to widespread outages.

For example, the Northeast Blackout of 2003 was initially caused by overgrown trees that came in contact with high-voltage power lines. Some 55 million people in the United States and Canada lost electric power during that event, which is estimated to have cost some $6 billion.

“A system-wide blackout is a low probability event, but similar to a cyber or nuclear attack, the electric utility industry has to be prepared,” Murkowski said. “I certainly hope our nation never faces a situation where a total restart of the electric system is required, but it is critical that there be a plan in place should the worst happen.”

Among the experts providing testimony, Utilities Technology Council President and CEO Joy Ditto discussed the importance of information and communications technology (ICT) networks to allow utility crews to remain in constant communication during power restoration.

“These [ICT] networks and the technologies they enable have benefited the public by reducing outage duration and developing stronger, more resilient and nimble utility systems,” Ditto said. “The clear and growing interdependencies between the energy and telecommunications industries require more coordination between federal agencies, and we ask this committee and others to take a leading role to make this happen.”

David Ortiz, acting director of the Office of Electric Reliability at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), testified that FERC has been collaborating with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, regional entities, utilities and grid operators on a series of studies and reports regarding restoring the grid after a widespread blackout for years.

He explained that ensuring reliable operations of the grid depends on real-time monitoring of thousands of transmission system components across a wide area. To support those operations, utilities rely on proprietary and contracted communications systems, supervisory control and data acquisition systems, and energy management systems. “Utilities have made significant investments in these systems and seek for them to be as redundant and available as possible,” Ortiz said.

In May, officials released the FERC-NERC-Regional Entity Joint Review of Blackstart Resources Availability. The study examined the availability of blackstart resources, including strategies for replacing those resources going forward, and options for expanding system restoration plan testing beyond the currently required blackstart resource testing. The utilities participating in the study largely used gas turbines, diesel generators, and pumped and traditional hydroelectric facilities as their blackstart units.

“The study concluded that although some participants have experienced a decrease in the availability of blackstart resources due to retirement of blackstart-capable units over the past decade, the participants have verified they currently have sufficient blackstart resources in their system restoration plans, as well as comprehensive strategies for mitigating against loss of any
additional blackstart resources going forward,” Ortiz testified.

Juan Torres, associate laboratory director for energy systems integration at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, said NREL is conducting blackstart research under the Solar Energy Innovation Network, funded by the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. NREL is working with PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission organization covering 13 states and the District of Columbia, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), in focusing on blackstart applications for solar energy generation with storage.

PJM has never had to utilize its blackstart resources during a restoration event, although it tests them regularly, said Andrew Ott, president and CEO of PJM Interconnection.

“This is because we have not, to date, experienced an interconnection-wide outage that has prevented us from ‘jump-starting’ one part of the grid by synchronizing it with another part,” Ott said. “Nevertheless, the service is critically important, and procuring sufficient black start resources is a responsibility we take seriously.”