Power Outage on Ocracoke
Posted by Tideland EMC at 3:30pm Thursday: Tideland's attempt to operate the Ocracoke generator earlier today was unsuccessful and resulted in damage that renders it inoperable. Three mobile generators will arrive on the island Friday to operate the three island circuits starting tomorrow evening. With strict conservation we hope to avoid rotating outages but that will completely depend upon EVERYONE on the island doing their part.
This morning, PCL Construction, the company constructing the new Bonner Bridge drove a steel casing into the underground transmission cable that runs between the south end of the Bonner Bridge and the overhead riser pole, causing the current transmission outage. Transmission repairs could take anywhere from days to weeks.
Posted by Cape Hatteras Electric Cooperative @ 2:30pm UDATE: PCL Construction, the company constructing the new Bonner Bridge, has informed CHEC that they drove a steel casing into the underground transmission cable that runs between the south end of the Bonner Bridge and the overhead riser pole, causing the current transmission outage.
CHEC is working to assess the extent of the damage and plan for the repair. Assuming that the cooperative has the materials on hand, repairs could take several days to complete. If materials are not available locally, repairs could take weeks.
CHEC is currently providing temporary power to Buxton, Frisco and part of Hatteras Village via the diesel generating plant. The cooperative is bringing in additional portable generators to supplement the diesel plant. These generators will begin to arrive tonight. Once the generators are online, the cooperative will initiate rolling blackouts.
This will only be possible if load is at minimal levels and everyone is conserving. To minimize load, CHEC is asking residents and visitors to please TURN OFF AC units and minimize other electrical usage.
Tideland will attempt to restore limited power to Ocracoke island with a generator. Ocracoke will operate under a schedule of rotating blackouts for a period of time yet to be determined. For that to be successful, all island residents & visitors need to shut off non-essential breakers now and observe strict conservation during each generator run. Tideland EMC recommends shutting off water heaters and HVAC systems.
Again, it is of critical importance for all Ocracoke residents and visitors to observe the conservation request issued by Tideland EMC. If the current population of Ocracoke does not comply, the rotating schedule could be interrupted and attempts to alleviate the stress of the outage could be suspended. We are very hopeful that the outage will be addressed expeditiously but everyone needs to be prepared for an extended outage.
