Computer trouble at Ohio utility preceded blackoutsummary prepared by D. Power from a story in USA Today WASHINGTON, DC, 9/4/2003 9:27 PM -- According to a story by Edward Iwata in USA TODAY, "Computer and software problems in the control room of besieged Ohio utility FirstEnergy may have been a major cause of the record Northeast power blackout on Aug. 14, according to congressional testimony and documents released Thursday." Iwata reported "At least two-and-a-half hours before the 4 p.m. blackout, FirstEnergy technicians who monitor the company's power lines got several telephone calls from power plant operators, warning of serious problems on the Midwestern electricity grid. They had seen odd surges of power, shutdowns of some power plants and transmission lines overloaded with electricity." Rep. James Greenwood, R-Pa., of the House Energy and Commerce Committee saidin an interview "These guys may have been flying blind ... It appears they may have been looking at their (computer) screens, and the screens were not giving them the right information." Iwata reported "According to Greenwood and energy experts, officials are investigating several possible causes of the blackout, from equipment failure to human error. Congressional investigators are particularly intrigued by the computer snafu, including a possible breakdown of an industrial software system called SCADA, or Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, which feeds real-time transmission data to power companies and grid operators." In his story he notes "In the hours before the blackout, technicians were baffled by the worsening problems on the grid, according to a transcript of telephone calls between power firms and the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, the entity that oversees the power grid in that region. In one exchange, a grid manager said, 'I called you guys a bit ago to find out what was going on because I saw. ...'" Iwata quotes a "FirstEnergy control-room official named Jerry Snickey" who replied, "We have no clue. Our computer is giving us fits, too. We don't even know the status of some of the stuff around us." The Honorable James C. Greenwood, Pennsylvania 2436 Rayburn HOB House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-4276 http://www.house.gov/greenwood/ http://energycommerce.house.gov/ http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2003-09-04-blackout-hearings_x.htm |