North American Electric Reliability Council issues power outage update

NERC has issued the following statement with regards to the ongoing power outages and the timescale for restoration (updated 11:00 AM EDT August 15):

Starting at about 4:11 PM EDT on August 14, major losses of electric load occurred in the northeastern US and Canada. Although the exact cause is not known at present, the outages are most likely not the result of a physical or cyber terrorist attack. Investigations and data collections continue.

The areas most affected center around the Great Lakes: Michigan, Ohio, New York City, Ontario, Quebec, northern New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

The following load was lost (approximate numbers):
PJM Interconnection – 4200 MW
Midwest ISO – 13000 MW
Hydro Quebec – 100 MW
Ontario IMO – 20000 MW
ISO New England – 2500 MW
New York ISO – 22000 MW
Total – 61,800 MW Lost (approximate)

Status of Restoration as of 8:00 a.m. EDT
PJM Interconnection – 4200 MW Restored
Midwest ISO – 8700 MW Restored
Hydro Quebec –100 MW Restored
Ontario IMO – 15000 MW Restored
ISO New England – 2400 MW Restored
New York ISO – 18400 MW Restored
Total 48,800 MW Restored (approximate)

We know that a number of transmission lines and generators tripped out of service prior to and during this event. However, a great deal of additional data and information must be gathered and analysed before definitive conclusions can be drawn as to the root cause of this outage. NERC, in conjunction with its regional reliability councils and member utilities, and in coordination with government agencies, will conduct a thorough investigation and report its findings as soon as possible.

•Date: 15th August 2003 • Region: N.America •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
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