Human error causes blackout

A contractor at Southeast Alaska Power Agency’s Tyee Lake hydroelectric facility accidentally entered an incorrect control system input, resulting in a power outage in Wrangell and Petersburg Saturday morning, said SEAPA CEO Trey Acteson.

SEAPA staff were conducting a training session associated with recent control upgrades when the error was made. Tyee Lake generation was lost at 9:15 A.M. on Sept. 26, said Robert Siedman, an electrical engineer with SEAPA. Power was restored 25 minutes later at 9:40 A.M. All the Wrangell and Petersburg circuits were offline during the Tyee lake generation outage, said Siedman.

“SEAPA continuously strives to modernize aging equipment and ensure personnel are properly trained,” said Acteson in an email to the Sentinel. “We apologize for any inconvenience this inadvertent power interruption may have caused.”

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 12/20/2024 23:07