Tag: TIME
Power Line Management in the Time of Coronavirus
The post Power Line Management in the Time of Coronavirus appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has put communities on lockdown and created a need for social distancing. Many are staying at home, but that’s not an option for the frontline workers running critical power transmission infrastructure and keeping the lights on.
How can utilities keep up with their operational and safety obligations with a reduced onsite workforce? Specifically, how can utilities maintain power line inspection and maintenance regimes, and what are the additional challenges for those in areas such as California, where COVID-19 collides with other threats, such as wildfire season?
Making Hard Work of Field Work
By definition, power transmission and distribution networks deal with long distances. At the best of times power line inspection entails despatching crews into the most remote pockets of a country or state, far from major population centres.
In many ways that can be a blessing: deep in the forests and mountains you may be more likely to run into a cougar or bear than another human being carrying COVID-19.…
SCANA, Santee Cooper Buy More Time for V.C. Summer Decision
SCANA Corp. subsidiary South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. (SCG&E) and Santee Cooper—owners of the two-unit expansion of the V.C. Summer nuclear plant—have extended an interim assessment agreement with Westinghouse to allow the project’s owners to “continue to make progress on the site.”
The companies on June 26 extended the agreement to August 10, but it is subject to bankruptcy court approval.
“The agreement extension allows the co-owners additional time to maintain all of their options by continuing construction on the project, while examining all of the relevant information for a thorough and careful assessment to determine the most prudent path forward,” the project owners said.
“The goal is to reach a decision in the third quarter.”
A Hard Decision to Make
SCE&G and Santee Cooper have worked with Westinghouse to reach agreement on the project even before the Toshiba company filed for bankruptcy protection in late March. Westinghouse cited liquidity crisis stemming from losses at the V.C. Summer and Vogtle AP1000 projects for its financial collapse.…
Vogtle, V.C. Summer Project Owners Buy More Time to Mull Fate of Nuclear Units
The owners of the Vogtle and V.C. Summer nuclear expansions separately secured a few more weeks to allow work to continue onsite at each project while they decide how to proceed with the half-built AP1000 reactors after Westinghouse’s financial debacle.
In Georgia, owners of the project to expand Plant Vogtle extended an interim assessment agreement with Westinghouse until May 12. But Georgia Power’s parent company Southern Co. also revealed it is negotiating a new service agreement that could engage Westinghouse to provide design, engineering, and procurement services in the event Southern Nuclear Operating Co.—Southern Co.’s nuclear unit operations arm—takes over management of construction at Units 3 and 4.
And in South Carolina, owners of the project to expand V.C. Summer extended a similar agreement through June 26. The project owners detailed their concerns and options in a recent ex parte briefing at the South Carolina Public Service Commission (PSC)
Vogtle Agreement Extended Until May 12
Georgia Power and Vogtle’s other owners on April 28 extended an interim assessment agreement with Westinghouse before it was set to expire, giving them until May 12 to assess the project.…