Faulty insulators culprits in recent power outages
by Jeff Hymas, Rocky Mountain Power
August 29, 2011
Multiple communities in Sublette County were affected by four power outages and several momentary interruptions during the past few weeks, primarily during thunderstorms. (Separate from any smaller, localized outages.) The most recent of these larger outages happened on Thursday, Aug. 25 at about 9:50 p.m. and affected approximately 5,600 customers in Pinedale, Marbleton, Daniel, Boulder and Big Piney. Power was restored to all affected customers by early Friday morning (August 26, 2011) at 2:33 a.m.
As with other recent outages, the one on Thursday, August 25 was caused by a problem on a transmission line running between Big Piney and Pinedale. Rocky Mountain Power employees had patrolled the transmission line multiple times without finding anything, so fault indicators were installed on the line to help determine what was causing the outages. Other measures also were taken in attempting to stop the outages from happening.
Finally, with the help of fault indicators, crews were able to locate the section of power line where the problem was occurring during efforts to restore power on Thursday night and Friday morning. Through further testing, they found two broken insulators a few miles south of Pinedale, and worked through the night to replace the damaged equipment. We believe this should fix the problem, and anticipate better service reliability for customers in Sublette County who have been affected by recent power outages and interruptions.
We appreciate the patience our customers have shown and apologize for any inconvenience. We want them to know that Rocky Mountain Power employees have been working hard to address the recent outages, and stand ready to act should any power outages occur in the future due to bad weather, vehicle accidents, equipment problems or any other reason.
Just as our employees prepare in advance, we encourage customers to be ready for any potential outages or other emergencies by assembling an outage kit that includes bottled water; ready-to-eat foods and a manual can opener; battery-operated radio and clock; flashlights; extra batteries; blankets; and first aid supplies.
If a power outage does occur, customers are encouraged to report it to Rocky Mountain Power by calling toll free at 1-877-508-5088. More information about being prepared for potential power outages and staying safe during an outage is available on our website at rockymountainpower.net. For billing issues or other questions, customer service representatives are available any time, 7 days a week, by calling toll free at 1-888-221-7070.
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