Found over on the euy2k (energyland.com) Y2K forum - it didn't take this company long to get the spin cycle going after the dirty laundry was aired. This is in response to the Albuquerque Journal article that was posted yesterday. I think PNM skipped the "wash" and "rinse" cycles. Still, it's not an altogether encouraging press release. Can you say dirty power? I thought you could.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, December 2, 1999

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Don Brown, (505) 241-0837 / 790-6057 (pager)

"Yes, We’re Ready."
Clarification of PNM’s Status for Y2K

An article in this morning’s Journal North section of the Albuquerque Journal incorrectly represented Public Service Company of New Mexico’s readiness for the Y2k rollover on New Year’s eve. We are working with the Journal North for either a clarification or retraction of the error in reporting.

In fact, PNM has reported that its systems that are critical to the production of electricity and the delivery of both gas and electricity are Y2k ready. In early August, the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), which is monitoring the readiness of utilities around the country, placed PNM on its list of utilities that are Y2k ready. Additional information on PNM’s Y2k readiness and the NERC can be found at www.pnm.com.

After three years of systematic testing and correction of its mission-critical systems, PNM believes that voltage and frequency variations, not Y2k-related outages, are the most likely events within its service area during the millennial rollover.

YEAR 2000 Readiness Disclosure: This information is a Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure pursuant to the Year 2000 Information and Readiness Disclosure Act. Pub.L. No. 105-271, 112 STAT.2386 (1998).

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Date Last Updated: December 02, 1999
All contents ) PNM 1999

-- Nom (nom@de.plume), December 03, 1999

Answers

More beans and rice, PRONTO!!

Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), December 03, 1999.

Kinda makes sense, actually. I remember reading a long time ago that one of the biggest threats may be fluctuations in loads as major industrial users shut down for the rollover, then restart. If they're telling the truth, kudos to 'em for being this up-front. And as a journalist, I can attest that reporters have been known to flub a technical detail or two. That was no technology reporter writing the original story.

-- Thinman (thinman38@hotmail.com), December 03, 1999.

Thanks for the post, Nom. They are actually boasting that there will only be dirty power? If they've fixed their systems, then why are they expecting even that much disruption?

And I note the conspicuous omission of "minor" in describing their predicted (predicted, what?!) variations. A 1 week outage could technically be described as a voltage and frequency fluctuation: a variation to 0V, and 1.65e-6 Hz.

I feel like laughing. I'm not sure why.

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), December 03, 1999.

*****PNM believes that voltage and frequency variations, not Y2k- related outages, are the most likely events within its service area during the millennial rollover. *****

Hmmm, 0 volts is no power. So you can not get any interuption of power from Y2k only a variation of voltage or frequency.

So hey we told you so.. you can have voltage variations from Y2k what you want?

We did not specify how large those variations will be.... ohhh so it went to zerro?

This still doesnt mean that you have a POWER interuption because of Y2k !!!

-- sparky (sparky @arc.not), December 03, 1999.

For what it is worth...This is the utility which had a call in for more than a hundred old time line men the first of this year.

The job! To reinstall old time manual switches on (sixties era) their distribution systems. They'll have trouble...But if any one can make it, they will.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), December 03, 1999.

And they call this "ready" for Y2K? And this gets them on NERC's "ready" list?

How many other Y2K dirty power companies are out there NERC won't tell us about? And how will they affect other neighboring power companies?

"You can't stand the truth." :-(

-- cgbg jr (cgbgjr@webtv.net), December 03, 1999.

What PS of NM is worried about is companies (just as Thinman mentioned) shutting off and then turning the power back on after a short time. If you have enough of them doing it the voltage will fluctuate much than normal. Also if too many companies go off line for the entire weekend it will effect the base load and a lightly loaded line can rise in voltage.

-- The Engineer (The Engineer@tech.com), December 03, 1999.

Oh my goodness! Is our self proclaimed " The Engineer" polly conceding such thing as INTERDEPENDENT CONNECTIVITY?????

Gawd, maybe there is something to the chemtrail hoopa-la after all....

-- King of Spain (madrid@aol.cum), December 03, 1999.