'Days to weeks' for TVA to restore electricity to Alabama

[Newsjock]

Source: Huntsville Times

TVA is scrambling to recover from the "biggest storm we've ever seen in our system," and utility officials said they do not know how long it will take to restore power to local communities.

... In simple terms, the relay system that routes TVA electricity from power plants to area homes has been severely damaged. The vast majority of the problems are on TVA's end. Huntsville Utilities' system is generally intact south of U.S. 72.

TVA has more than 100 major fallen transmission lines in North Alabama and Mississippi. It is looking at major structural repairs before it can send power to Huntsville and elsewhere. Huntsville Utilities officials said as power becomes available, priority will be given to water treatment, health care facilities, gas stations and food sellers.

... After an aerial damage assessment Thursday, TVA officials estimated it would take "days to weeks" for electricity service to resume. Hydropower from the Guntersville Dam is available and Browns Ferry can generate power when the transmission system is repaired.

Read more: http://blog.al.com/breaking/2011/04/tva_predicting_5_days_till_pow.html

[murielm99]

1. What misery.

When our power goes out, we have nothing, not even running water. But so many of these people have bigger problems. They have no homes.

This could take years to fix.

[Wilms]

2. Does this mean Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant has to run it's cooling system on backup power until then?

And is that within design limits? :nuke:

[aquart]

4. Wasn't there 15 minutes without even backup power?

http://t.co/pCmQSf3

Same as the Fukushima reactor, too.

" The three boiling water reactors at TVA’s Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Alabama shut down automatically with cooling systems powered by “a combination of offsite transmission and on-site diesel generators.” However, the shutdown was notified as an ‘unusual event’ to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission “when the normal and alternate power supplies for essential equipment were unavailable for more than 15 minutes.” TVA stressed that “safety systems performed well.” "

[Possumpoint]

5. For The Record

Back up Generators came on line immediately and there was no interruption of cooling to the reactors.

[aquart]

6. So what was the "event"?

If there wasn't one?

[Wilms]

7. This sentence is a bit ambiguous. Or maybe not.

“...when the normal and alternate power supplies for essential equipment were unavailable for more than 15 minutes.”

Were they without power for fifteen minutes?

[Keith Bee]

3. 2011.....

...and Mother Nature can STILL smack us down anythime She wants.

[PVnRT]

8. Sounds about the same length of time it took to restore power

after the 2010 ice storms here in Kentucky and elsewhere. At least in my section of the Commonwealth, it can take that long to get up into the hilly and mountain back roads to get repair crews out. Some were without power for almost a month afterwards.