Winter blankets the county
February 17, 2021
Sheila Harris
Mother nature is playing no favorites across the nation this week, as unseasonably cold weather, snow and ice have affected, or are affecting, the majority of states.
Millions in the U.S. are without power. In Barry County, both Barry Electric and Liberty Utilities issued peak alerts, warning members and customers that load shedding - also called “rolling blackouts” - were imminent.
“Our supplier, KAMO Power, provides electricity to co-ops throughout a four-state area,” Holycross said. “They were watching their grid and making the decisions about which substations to shut down to balance the load on their power lines.”
According to Holycross, Barry Electric has seven substations, none of which were shut down during Tuesday’s advisory.
The blackouts have been paused across the KAMO grid, but Holycross does want to remind members to continue to conserve electricity as the cold temperatures are still with us.
Liberty Utilities alerted customers Wednesday morning that they were extending their Peak Advisory until noon Wednesday, February 17, to help maintain service reliability and avoid outages. The emergency situation has certainly improved, they say. However, after consulting with Southwest Power Pool (SPP), who manages the electric grid and wholesale power market for the central United States, and after reviewing the forecast, there is still risk of outages due to extreme weather, record-setting demand, and fuel supply issues.
They say should additional controlled service interruptions be required, they will interrupt service in blocks throughout the electric system, starting with blocks that have not yet been interrupted.
Residents are reminded to stagger the use of appliances, shut off unnecessary lights and keep thermostats turned down.
If blackouts become necessary in the future, following are a few ways to be prepared:
• Make sure your cell phones are fully charged.
• Have a supply of water available.
• Check the batteries in your radio and clocks.
• Gather blankets and warm clothing.
• Gather alternate light sources and make sure they are ready to use before dark.
Sheila Harris
Mother nature is playing no favorites across the nation this week, as unseasonably cold weather, snow and ice have affected, or are affecting, the majority of states.
Millions in the U.S. are without power. In Barry County, both Barry Electric and Liberty Utilities issued peak alerts, warning members and customers that load shedding - also called “rolling blackouts” - were imminent.
“Our supplier, KAMO Power, provides electricity to co-ops throughout a four-state area,” Holycross said. “They were watching their grid and making the decisions about which substations to shut down to balance the load on their power lines.”
According to Holycross, Barry Electric has seven substations, none of which were shut down during Tuesday’s advisory.
The blackouts have been paused across the KAMO grid, but Holycross does want to remind members to continue to conserve electricity as the cold temperatures are still with us.
Liberty Utilities alerted customers Wednesday morning that they were extending their Peak Advisory until noon Wednesday, February 17, to help maintain service reliability and avoid outages. The emergency situation has certainly improved, they say. However, after consulting with Southwest Power Pool (SPP), who manages the electric grid and wholesale power market for the central United States, and after reviewing the forecast, there is still risk of outages due to extreme weather, record-setting demand, and fuel supply issues.
They say should additional controlled service interruptions be required, they will interrupt service in blocks throughout the electric system, starting with blocks that have not yet been interrupted.
Residents are reminded to stagger the use of appliances, shut off unnecessary lights and keep thermostats turned down.
If blackouts become necessary in the future, following are a few ways to be prepared:
• Make sure your cell phones are fully charged.
• Have a supply of water available.
• Check the batteries in your radio and clocks.
• Gather blankets and warm clothing.
• Gather alternate light sources and make sure they are ready to use before dark.