Will we have power on Jan. 1, 2000?

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I am a Y2k project coordinator. An article titled "Will we have power on Jan. 1, 2000?" was published based on the June 12, 1998 Senate Year 2000 Committee (http://www.msnbc.com/news/172557.asp). BY the way...it's a dark and gloomy outlook! How can I find out what the real status is utility by utility (Gov't and private)? Based on what I've read here, there is no way to get this answer. I need to insure my employer that there will be electricity within the US as well as world-wide. Am I an optimist or what?

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1998

Answers

Jeff, you said that: "I need to insure my employer that there will be electricity within the US as well as world-wide."

I doubt that anyone will be able to insure or even predict the extent of the electrical services even in 1999.

With de-regulation and $$$ being lost in residential services, there may be little interest in investing the time or resources until the last moments of 1999.

Taking into account, the Solar Cycle problem and other natural disasters that are increasing in both severity and frequency, it will be hard to give any worthwhile estimates.

-- Anonymous, June 17, 1998


Jeffrey, I don't think you *can* honestly tell your employer that there will be electricity available. On the average, every two winters I can count on power going out for at least several hours. (The worst was in the 1993 blizzard, when we had 8 trees fall and take a power pole down too -- no lights for 9 days.) Summer outages are not unheard of either. I'm trying to remember when it was that the power went down for several days and all the in-laws came to our house because we have a gas stove; maybe after Opal. The point is, even today you can't count on electricity being up 24/7.

If power only gets flaky due to Y2K issues, but mostly stays up, emergency lighting and UPSes would keep a small business going. A larger business might require a backup generator. If the power goes down and stays down, there won't be much reason to keep the doors open anyway. :-(

-- Anonymous, June 18, 1998


I suggest you check out the following www sites for additional information:

http://www.euy2k.com/ " www.poweronline.com/ " www.compuinfo.co.uk/index.htm/ " www.iee.org.uk/2000risk/ " www.y2knews.com/ " www.bcs.org.uk/millenia.htm/ (then click on "List of Resources" for information and other hotlinks) " www.accsystcom/writers/links.htm/ By the way it could be dark!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 1998


You need to clearly communicate your abilities to your employer. You can't ensure your employer things you don't have control over.

I don't think you will be able to determine the status of utilities, government or private. I think most of them are taking cues from their legal departments to be very careful about what information they make public.

If you are able to get information, be careful about trusting it too much. And . . . if you do figure out how to get go info, I would love to know how. We've been unable to make headway in this same area here (and we work for DoD and are concerned about the power supply to a US military installation.)

-- Anonymous, June 26, 1998


Would those people reading this, who are in position to do, please begin kicking in the necessary doors so that we might get some information?

-- Anonymous, June 29, 1998


man

-- Anonymous, June 29, 1998

I would inform your employer that it is a flip of the coin at this point. Even if every power plant in the US and Canada was Y2K compliant in every critical area, they do not, and most likely will not, have contingency plans to deal with all of the failing industries they depend on to supply them with the fuel(coal), replacement parts and manpower required to operate at minimum capacity. Expect the unexpected.

-- Anonymous, July 20, 1998

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