Electric customers in counties surrounding Brazos County who are served by Entergy are being told rotating blackouts have come to an end.
Entergy announced late Friday afternoon that repair crews have repaired enough transmission lines and have reopened a plant near the Texas-Louisiana line to end periodic outages that followed Hurricane Laura.
News release from Entergy:
Entergy Texas crews continue to make progress to restore outages following the impacts of Hurricane Laura’s destructive storm surge, wind and flooding. More than 7,000 people have been mobilized across Southeast Texas to complete Entergy Texas’ restoration efforts. At its peak, Entergy Texas experienced 291,000 outages, with the hardest-hit areas in Jefferson, Orange and Hardin counties.
Hurricane Laura also significantly damaged transmission lines connecting Texas to the broader electric grid resulting in an order by MISO, our reliability coordinator, to begin rotating outages for customers. Last night, crews made significant repairs to transmission lines across the Entergy Texas region that will improve the stability of the transmission system. Additionally, Entergy Texas was able to start up units at a power plant along the Texas/Louisiana state line. While this power plant was in the direct path of Hurricane Laura, it suffered minimal damage and crews were able to complete the start up this morning. This adds generation to the Texas area that allows us to serve additional load.
Currently, we do not anticipate rotating outages to be required. Our restoration efforts will continue to improve our system reliability.
“Yesterday was a tough day for our customers,” said Sallie Rainer, president and CEO of Entergy Texas. “I want to thank our customers and apologize for any additional disruption these outages have caused. While we were spared the worst of Laura, the damage it did cause forced us to take these rolling outages as a last resort to stabilize the broader grid. We are working to restore customers affected by Laura as quickly as is safely possible.”
While we continue to assess damage in the hardest hit areas, Entergy Texas has determined expected restoration efforts for areas affected by Hurricane Laura for all customers who can take power. These times may change if crews find additional damage.
Silsbee and Beaumont are expected to be restored by the end of Sunday, August 30
The majority of Port Arthur, with the exception of part of Groves, should also be restored by the end of Sunday, August 30. The remaining customers in Groves should be restored by Monday, August 31.
The Orange area suffered the most extensive damage and we continue to assess the area. We believe the majority of customers in Orange will be restored by Friday, September 4. Some areas may experience longer outages due to extensive transmission line damage. We will provide additional details as we fully assess the area.
Crews continue to work across the area to assess damage and complete restorations. In addition to the 7,000 workers, Entergy has 6 staging sites in Orange, Port Arthur and Beaumont areas to base our operations.
Additionally, customers are urged to remain cautious, as scammers are working to take advantage of customers affected by Laura, threatening disconnection of service and asking for immediate payment over the phone. Entergy will never ask for personal information over the phone or demand payment using money orders or gift cards. You can visit entergy.com/scams to learn how to protect yourself.
2nd UPDATE is a news release from Entergy, announcing all Texas customers will experience power outages following Hurricane Laura.
Entergy has started periodic power outages for its customers in Texas. The company is taking this action as directed by our reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, as a last resort and in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid. The unusual circumstance is the result of extensive damage to Entergy’s transmission system caused by Hurricane Laura in East Texas and West Louisiana and the anticipated high demand for electricity due to high temperatures.
MISO is directing actions to be taken to restore the system to normal operations as quickly as possible and will direct Entergy to stop the periodic outages as soon as the power shortfall no longer threatens the integrity of the rest of the electrical power system.
Entergy is also asking customers in its western area north of Houston to voluntarily reduce their usage of electricity, as directed by MISO.
Hurricane Laura damaged key transmission lines, conductors, wooden and steel transmission towers that could bring electrical power from the east.
Entergy has performed preliminary assessments to its transmission system and is working to restore the key lines that will alleviate the situation.
Some ways customers can reduce their electricity usage include:
· Raise the central air conditioner thermostat to 78 degrees. Window units should be adjusted accordingly.
· Use energy efficient electric ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate air and help occupants feel cooler.
· Close window blinds, drapes and curtains to reduce warming in the home from direct sunlight.
· Check the air conditioner filter to be sure it is clean.
· Delay laundering clothes, washing dishes, bathing, etc. until later in the evening or early morning. These activities produce moisture and increase humidity in the house, making the air conditioner work harder.
· Wash clothes with cold water, cook foods at the lowest possible setting, and resist the temptation to open the oven door while baking.
· Do not allow cooled air to escape from the home. Check caulking around doors and windows. Close the fireplace damper. Fill holes and gaps where wiring and pipes enter the house.
· Make sure your clothes dryer and attic are vented properly.
MISO comprises a pool of electricity generators and users that stretches from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and as reliability coordinator is responsible for monitoring the portion of the electric grid it oversees and providing instructions to its members regarding actions needed to maintain reliability in that portion of the grid. In extreme and unusual circumstances, such actions may include periodic outages of the type occurring today.
Update:
Robertson County emergency management is not expecting power outages from Laura…something which happened after Hurricane Ike.
Original story:
The Robertson County emergency management office is advising residents who are Entergy electric customers to prepare for a power outage from Hurricane Laura.
According to a Facebook post, Entergy officials told the Robertson County office any outage should be short lived due to their ability to reroute power from other plants.
The Facebook post then brings up Hurricane Ike in calling to prepare for having no power for at least several days.
The post advises getting enough bottled water to last for 48 hours. The emergency management office says it will take 24 hours to determine how long the power will be out, then another 24 hours to get ice and water from the state.
Robertson County residents are also asked to reach out to elderly and special needs family members to make arrangements to care for them.
And for those with portable generators, do not place them inside homes or buildings and do not connect them to breaker boxes or home electrical systems.
