Tag: Power Lines

Electricity Remains Off For Thousands Following Tuesday’s Storm

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 76,000 Appalachian Power customers were still waiting for their power to be restored.

Tens of thousands of Appalachian Power customers remain without electricity after Tuesday’s storm.

As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 76,000 Appalachian Power customers were still waiting for their power to be restored.

An update from the company on Wednesday morning indicated most customers in four counties – Boone, Logan, Mingo and Raleigh – could expect to have their power back by 11 p.m. Wednesday.

It also said most customers in Cabell, Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Jackson, Kanawha, Lincoln, Mason, Nicholas, Putnam, Roane and Wayne counties could expect restoration by 11 p.m. Thursday.

More than 2,200 workers are part of that effort, the utility said, including 1,300 line workers from several surrounding states.

They’re dealing with downed trees, broken or damaged poles and transformers, and wires on the ground.

Customers can check their outage status, view an outage map, report an outage or sign up for outage alerts at AppalachianPower.com.

Appalachian Power is an underwriter of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

Power Companies to Expand Grid in Kanawha, Roane Counties

Parts of Kanawha and Roane counties will see new power lines and electrical upgrades under a $75 million electric grid expansion plan by energy companies.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the Clendenin-Walton Area Improvements Project will include construction of about 25 miles of transmission line, three new substations and upgrades to other transmission facilities.

Transource Energy says in a news release it will construct and own the transmission line and key substations that will serve as the anchor of the project. Transource is an affiliate of American Electric Power headquartered in Columbus, Ohio.

Transource will own two substations, one near Charleston and one about three miles east of the Roane-Calhoun line. Appalachian Power will operate a third substation in Walton. Transource will also own the transmission line.

Construction is expected to start in 2017 and be completed by mid-2019.

Transource says the project will help meet an increase in electric demand and ensure continued reliable service.

PJM Interconnection, which monitors the electric grid in 13 states, identified the need for the expansion in 2014. It awarded the project to Transource the following year. In June, the Public Service Commission of West Virginia approved construction.

Appalachian Power and First Energy are expected to build new facilities to accommodate the upgrades.

Transource plans to hold a Dec. 8 open house from 5 to 7 p.m. at Walton Elementary/Middle School in Walton to introduce the project and gather public comments. Attendees can come at any time.

“The open house is an opportunity for our project team to speak with landowners and answer questions, view maps and preliminary study segments and learn more about the project,” Antonio Smyth, Transource Energy president, said in a written statement. “It also gives our team a chance to gather valuable information to help us build the best possible project we can.”

Utlity Plans Aim to Reduce Outages During Storms

West Virginia utility regulators have approved utility vegetation-management plans aimed at reducing power failures during destructive storms.

The plans announced Monday are for Monongahela Power Co. and Potomac Edison Co. The plans are part of a Public Service Commission of West Virginia directive in January 2013 requiring electric companies operating in the state to outline vegetation trimming programs for distribution and transmission lines.
 
The PSC says the plans are intended to increase electric service reliability during storms such as the derecho in 2010 and Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
 
Those weather events left hundreds of thousands of West Virginians without power, resulting in millions of dollars in damage and spoiled food, not to mention customer inconvenience.
 
Mon Power and Potomac Edison serve 523,000 customers in 27 West Virginia counties.
 

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