[USA] Lawfirm files lawsuit alleging HECO powerlines started Hawaii wildfires

On August 14, 2023, Singleton Schreiber, a fire litigation firm, filed a lawsuit on behalf of an individual against Hawaiian Electric Industries (HECO), Hawai’i Electric Light Company, and Maui Electric Company, alleging that the utilities’ powerlines started wildfires in Maui, Hawaii.[1] The wildfires broke out in Lahaina in West Maui on August 8, 2023; as of August 17, at least 110 people have passed away due to the fires. Over 2,200 structures have been damaged or destroyed. The Maui Emergency Management Agency estimates rebuilding will cost $5.52 billion.

The lawsuit alleges multiple instances of negligence, trespass, and nuisance as contributing factors to the fires. According to the lawsuit, the utilities were warned of the threat of wildfires as early as August 6 but either left their powerlines energized or, after deenergizing them, re-energized them too soon. The complaint points to several factors contributing to the utilities’ “poorly made decisions,” including failure to maintain proper tension on power lines and failure to implement proper vegetation management.

[1] https://singletonschreiber.com/first-individual-maui-wildfire-lawsuit-against-utilities-filed-by-singleton-schreiber/

[USA] 1.8 million customers in Florida without power after Hurricane Ian makes landfall

As of September 30, 2022, over 1.8 million customers were without power in Florida after Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of about 150 mph.[1] Florida Power and Light (FPL), the state’s largest electricity provider, said it has restored power to more than a half million customers, but as of the morning of September 30, about 1 million of its 5.8 million customers are still without power.[2] Initial assessments show that the company did not lose any transmission structures during the storm. According to a news release, FPL’s restoration workforce has nearly 21,000 workers. Other utilities, such as Duke Energy and Tampa Electric, have also begun mobilizing workers to help with the recovery efforts, with 10,000 and 3,000 workers, respectively.[3][4] According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), nearly 44,000 workers from at least 31 states have mobilized to assist in the recovery.[5] The storm made a second landfall in South Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane on the afternoon of September 30.

[1] http://www.psc.state.fl.us/Home/HurricaneReport

[2] http://newsroom.fpl.com/news-releases?item=126315

[3] https://news.duke-energy.com/releases/duke-energy-crews-to-begin-power-restoration-damage-assessment-as-ian-exits-florida?_gl=1*1t6estd*_ga*MTI4NDQ1NDM4OS4xNjY0NDg0MzAw*_ga_HB58MJRNTY*MTY2NDQ4NDI5OS4xLjEuMTY2NDQ4NDMwOC4wLjAuMA..&_ga=2.251099590.1552157911.1664484300-1284454389.1664484300

[4] https://www.tampaelectric.com/mediacenter/2022/Tampa-Electric-Begins-Restoring-Power-After-Hurricane-Ian-Update-No-1/

[5] https://www.eei.org/mutual-assistance/Ian

[USA] Two-thirds of Puerto Rican customers still without power five days after Hurricane Fiona hit the island

As of September 22, 2022, five days after Hurricane Fiona made landfall in Puerto Rico, roughly 958,500 customers, about two-thirds of subscribers, are without electricity. [1] Hurricane Fiona, a category 1 storm, made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 18, 2022, knocking out electricity to the entire island. Parts of southern and western Puerto Rico were hit hard by the hurricane, and recovery in those parts could take months. LUMA Energy, Puerto Rico’s private grid operator, said it is too early to estimate how long it will take to restore power to the entire island.

On September 21, 2022, President Biden issued a major disaster declaration on Wednesday for Puerto Rico, making federal funds available to the island on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and other services.[2] The following day, President Biden announced that the federal government will go one step further and pay 100% of the costs of Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Fiona for the next month.[3]

[1][1] https://poweroutage.us/area/state/puerto%20rico

[2] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/09/21/president-joseph-r-biden-jr-approves-puerto-rico-disaster-declaration-2/

[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/22/hurricane-fiona-biden-promises-federal-funding-for-puerto-rico-aid.html

[USA] Hurricane Ida knocks out all eight transmission lines into New Orleans

In a statement released on August 29, 2021, Entergy, a utility that serves customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, said Hurricane Ida caused the utility to lose all eight transmission lines delivering power into New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds. In addition to the eight major transmission lines, 216 substations, over 200 smaller lines, and more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines were put out of service by the hurricane. Hurricane Ida also toppled a 400-foot tower that withstood Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The loss of transmission led to a load imbalance, ultimately resulting in generation dropping offline. According to the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), nearly 1.2 million electricity customers in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power the morning of August 30, 2021. As of September 1, 2021, Entergy has restored power to more than 107,000 customers in Eastern New Orleans with generation supplied by the New Orleans Power Station, a 128 MW gas-fired power plant.[2] The utility noted that full restoration will take time due to the significant damage across the region.

[1] https://www.entergynewsroom.com/storm-center/article/entergy-system-hurricane-ida-update-8-30-21-10-m/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=entergy&utm_campaign=Power+Outages%2FRestoration&utm_content=5392617605

[2] https://www.entergynewsroom.com/news/entergy-restores-107-000-customers-in-mississippi-louisiana-new-orleans-service-areas/

[USA] California experiences rolling blackouts as heatwave continues

On August 19, 2020, officials from California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and the California Energy Commission (CEC) sent a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the power outages of August 14 and 15 that were triggered due to insufficient resources.[1] According to the letter, CAISO anticipated high loads and temperatures beginning on August 14, so it issued an order restricting maintenance operations on August 12, an alert identifying a possible system reserve deficiency on August 13, and a Flex Alert[2] for August 14.  However, on the afternoon of August 14, the situation deteriorated due to a developing, historic west-wide heatwave. The imbalance in supply and demand forced utilities to turn off power to their customers during the evening of August 14. On August 15, CAISO experienced similar conditions which led to further shutoffs. In the near term, CAISO expects that energy demand will remain high as the heatwave persists.

CAISO recognized that although the specific situation could not have been predicted, better communications and advance warnings should have been implemented. In their letter, the regulators pointed to capacity shortfalls and California's heavy reliance on importing resources to meet its energy demand in the summer as key factors in the blackouts. The regulators stated that they will need to perform a deep dive into the issue to make sure reliability resources can be available to address unexpected grid conditions.

[1]https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/uploadedFiles/CPUCWebsite/Content/News_Room/NewsUpdates/2020/Joint%20Response%20to%20Governor%20Newsom%20Letter%20August192020.pdf

[2] A Flex Alert is a call for consumers to voluntarily conserve electricity when there is a predicted shortage of energy supply

[Japan] Equipment Damage and Power Losses Caused by Typhoon #15 (“Faxai”) within TEPCO Power Grid’s Service Area

On September 9, 2019, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), headquartered in Tokyo, announced the status of equipment damage and power losses within its service area that were caused by Typhoon #15.

 The Typhoon #15 caused power losses in approximately 934,900 households in the Tokyo Metropolitan area, mostly in Chiba, Kanagawa, and Ibaraki Prefectures. As of 11:30 AM of September 9, approximately 858,800 homes within the TEPCO Power Grid service area were without power. In addition, two steel towers that were close to Kimitsu City in Chiba Prefecture had collapsed. [1] TEPCO has received support for the repair work from Tohoku Electric Power (Headquarters: Miyagi Prefecture), Hokuriku Power Electric (Headquarters: Toyama Prefecture) and Chubu Electric Power (Headquarters: Aichi Prefecture)*.

 As of September 18, repair work was still continuing in some towns and cities in Chiba Prefecture. TEPCO is assisting the local governments’ repair work by providing them with equipment, including portable generators, rechargers, mobile phone rechargers, LED lamps, electric vehicles, and power supply equipment.[2],[3]

 *According to JEPIC-USA, as of September 18, 2019, nine Japanese utility companies from across Japan, including Hokkaido Electric Power Company (Headquarters: Hokkaido) and Okinawa Electric Power Company (Headquarters: Okinawa Prefecture), dispatched their repair workers and vehicle-mounted electricity generators to the TEPCO Power Grid service area.

[1] http://www.tepco.co.jp/press/release/2019/1517227_8709.html

[2] http://www.tepco.co.jp/press/news/2019/1517631_8967.html

[3] http://www.tepco.co.jp/press/release/2019/1517587_8709.html

[Japan] The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Initiated a Working Group on Electricity Resilience

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced that it will initiate a Working Group on Electricity Resilience on October 9, 2018. The working group was jointly established by the Electricity and Gas Basic Policy Subcommittee under the Electricity and Gas Industry Committee of the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources, and the Electric Power Safety Subcommittee under the Industrial Safety and Consumer Product Safety Committee of the Industrial Structure Council.

The 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake caused a large-scale power outage in the Hokkaido region. The local residents, the utility company, and the government worked together to reduce their energy usage in response to the situation. On September 18, the operation of Tomato-Atsuma Coal-Fired Power Plant Unit 1 resumed, which stabilized the electricity supply and demand. 

METI established a third-party committee under the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators, Japan (OCCTO)[1] to identify the cause of the large-scale power outage and develop preventative measures for the future. An interim report is expected to be published by the end of October 2018. Meanwhile, the Ministerial Council on Emergency Inspection of Critical Infrastructure has decided to inspect the critical infrastructures across Japan, including electricity facilities, in November 2018 and will then develop measures to improve critical infrastructure resiliency. In order to accomplish these goals, METI has established a Working Group on Electricity Resilience to discuss challenges and possible measures to enhance the resiliency of Japan’s electricity infrastructure, and to establish a disaster-resilient electricity supply system.

[1] OCCTO is an organization that aims to promote the development of electricity transmission and distribution networks in Japan, which are necessary for cross-regional electricity use and the enhancement of the nationwide function of adjusting the supply-demand balance of electricity.

[USA] “Florida Power & Light Company Crews Responding to Widespread Power Outages in the Wake of Hurricane Michael”

[Florida Power and Light, 11 October 2018]  

With Hurricane Michael’s landfall in southeastern United States, electric utilities such as Florida Power & Light (FPL), have intensified their efforts to restore power to communities in Florida, Georgia, and parts of South Carolina. Over 1,000 FPL employees and contractors are working to help restore power and are supporting search and rescue efforts; of these, 50 are full-time contractors whose focus is purely search and rescue. The company is also providing mobile fueling for Florida Highway Patrol vehicles. Eric Silagy, President and CEO, commended his company’s efforts saying, “Last year, restoration workers from as far away as Canada traveled to Florida to help restore power following Hurricane Irma, and we’re honored to do the same for those affected by this devastating storm.” (As of the morning of October 12, “1.4 million utility customers from Florida to Virginia were without power.”) [1]

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/hurricane-michael-damage-florida-flooding-georgia-power-outage-weather-deaths-today-live-updates/

[Japan] Hokkaido Electric Power Company Restarted the Tomato-Atsuma Power Plant Unit 1 after Iburi Earthquake

Due to the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake that occurred on September 6, 2018, the Hokkaido Electric Power Company suffered damage at several of its power plants as well as its transmission and distribution infrastructure, causing a massive blackout in the region. On September 19, 2018, a regional power operator announced that it had restarted the Tomato-Atsuma thermal power plant Unit 1 after a trial operation was successfully performed to gradually increase the output. Prior to the restart of the power plant, the Hokkaido Electric Power Company had set power saving time from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm on weekdays by encouraging energy users to reduce their energy consumption as much as possible, targeting a 10% reduction in electricity demand. After restoring the Tomato-Atsuma power plant Unit 1, the company canceled the power saving time period and resumed its plans for energy saving for the winter season at normal levels. The company is working to bring two more Tomato-Atsuma power plant units back online soon.[1] 

Meanwhile, the earthquake caused significant damage to the transmission and distribution facilities that the utility owns and operates. As of September 16, 2018, the Hokkaido Electric Power Company has temporarily restored the No. 71 transmission tower on the Iwachishi line (66kv), and it has been working on repairs on the No. 107 transmission tower, which was destroyed by a landslide. The Hokkaido Electric Power Company expects to restore the No. 107 tower as well as the No. 52 transmission tower on the Karikachi line (275kW) by the middle of November. It also has considered changing to an alternative route for the transmission line, in order to avoid potential long-term landslide risks. There was also significant damage to distribution networks, with a total of 327 supporting facilities, 295 electric wires, and 428 transformers damaged. As of September 16, 2018, the blackout continued to affect 59 homes in Atsuma Town and Abira Town.[2]

[1] http://www.hepco.co.jp/pdf/18091901.pdf

[2] http://www.hepco.co.jp/pdf/18091601.pdf

[Japan] Kansai Electric Power Reported Current Status of Power Outages due to Damages from Typhoon Jebi and Quick Restoration Measures

Kansai Electric Power announced the current status of widespread power outages due to damage from the powerful Typhoon Jebi, which hit western Japan. As of September 6, 2018, nearly 2,184,000 customers had experienced power failures in the Kansai region of Japan, and 311,000 homes still remained without power. The most devastating blackout area was Osaka Prefecture, with a total of 1.026 million households affected, followed by Hyogo (App. 418,000) and Wakayama (App. 327,000)[1] prefectures.

As a result of the significant damage that the typhoon inflicted on Kansai Electric Power’s transmission and distribution infrastructure, the company will face a prolonged restoration effort. In order to support the efforts to restore power, the company announced on September 5, 2018, that it had requested 40 high-voltage generator cars and approximately 240 utility workers from neighboring power electric companies such as Chugoku Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power, and Kyushu Electric Power, based on their cooperative assistance agreements regarding emergency disasters. High-voltage generator cars will be connected to distribution equipment to temporarily transmit electricity. However, the installation locations have not yet been determined.[2]

[1] http://www.kepco.co.jp/souhaiden/pr/2018/pdf/0904_32j_00.pdf

[2] http://www.kepco.co.jp/souhaiden/pr/2018/0905_1j.html