[USA] Southern states without power due to ice storm

A combination of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Arctic air spilling south from Canada is resulting in a long-duration ice storm across at least eight states. At least seven people have been reported dead since January 30, 2023.[1] Ice storm warnings were in effect across large portions of Texas, western Tennessee, northern Mississippi, and much of Arkansas. Ice accumulated on power lines, utility poles, and tree limbs, leading to power outages. According to PowerOutage.us, more than 437,000 customers were without power in Texas as of the afternoon of February 2.[2] Arkansas had about 82,000 customers without power, followed by Mississippi with 23,000 and Tennessee with 17,000. More than a quarter of all households in Austin, Texas, had lost power as of the afternoon of February 2. Austin Energy said that its crews are working to restore weather-related power outages across the service area.[3] However, based on changing conditions, the utility said it is unable to provide estimates on system-wide restoration.

[1] https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3840856-7-deaths-reported-from-texas-ice-storm-outages-top-400k/

[2] https://poweroutage.us/

[3] https://austinenergy.com/about/news/news-releases/2023/austin-energy-working-to-restore-widespread-local-power-outages

[Japan] METI and utilities issue warnings about tight energy supply in Tokyo, Tohoku

On March 21, 2022, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) issued a warning over tight energy supply and asked people in Tokyo and Tohoku to save electricity.[1] The warning followed Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) announcement earlier in the day that a power shortage was possible due to cold weather and the suspension of some thermal power plants due to a powerful earthquake that hit northeastern Japan the week before on March 16, 2022. The earthquake stopped operations at six thermal plants, and the damage could leave some of them idle for weeks or months. The company requested customers to turn off unnecessary lights and set their heating at 20 C (68 F) to save electricity. Tohoku Electric Power also called on customers to limit their electricity usage. Late on March 22, 2022, METI said the country appeared likely to avoid blackouts but said they were keeping the power supply warning in place for the following day.[2]

[1] https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2022/03/b5e753617d95-japan-issues-warning-over-tight-energy-supply-in-tokyo-other-areas.html

[2] https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/japan-sees-partial-blackout-after-first-ever-power-supply-warning-2022-03-22/

[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] METI released a Status Update on Power Outages and Facility Damage Caused by Typhoon Hagibis

On October 16, 2019, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced a status update on the power outages and energy-related facility damage caused by Typhoon #19 (“Hagibis”). The typhoon hit the Kanto district in Japan on October 12, 2019, and caused tremendous power outages in approximately 16,720 households in a total of 14 prefectures, including the Tokyo Metropolitan area.[1]

 As of October 16, 2019, approximately 5,220 households in Nagano Prefecture within the service area of Chubu Electric Power (Chuden, Headquarter: Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture) were continuing to experience power outages, and another 2,900 homes within the Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO, Headquarter: Tokyo) service area were still without power.

 Typhoon Hagibis also caused natural gas distribution disruptions and high-pressure natural gas leaks. The natural gas supply for nearly 900 households in Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture was interrupted due to the severe damage to gas pressure regulators. As of October 16, 2019, the gas supply has been resumed for approximately 485 homes, and repair work is continuing for the remaining homes.

 The roof of a Liquefied Petroleum (LP) gas cylinder warehouse owned by a Toyota USEC office in Yokohama was damaged by the typhoon and led to further LP gas leaks. As of October 16, 2019, the leaks had been stopped. Toyota USEC is a used-car commercial services provider and a subsidiary of Toyota and is headquartered in Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture.[2] [3]

[1] https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2019/10/20191012002/20191012002.html

[2] http://www.toyota-usec.co.jp/corporate/

[3] https://www.meti.go.jp/press/2019/10/20191016006/20191016006.html