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Prioritizing Power Restoration During an Extended Service Outage

CWLP uses a three-phase, prioritized service restoration plan that is designed to ensure power can be restored to the greatest number of customers with the greatest possible speed.

PRIORITY 1
Illustration showing how priority is placed on repairing and restoring power to substations, high-voltage towers and other major infrastructure during the Priority One phase of the power restoration process. Even while damage assessment is still being done, our line crews get busy repairing downed or broken high-voltage transmission lines that provide power to our substations, as well as any damages that might have occurred to the substations themselves. Focusing on repairing these facilities allows us to restore power to the largest number of customers in the quickest possible time. Also as part of Priority 1, we concentrate on infrastructure repairs that will ensure the restoration of power as quickly as possible to frontline public health and safety providers, including hospitals and police and fire stations.

 

PRIORITY 2
Illustration showing how priority is placed on restoring power to facilities that provide essential public services during the Priority Two phase of the power restoration process.  

 

 

 

 


As soon as is feasible, we begin focusing our efforts on restoring power to facilities that provide needed public services. Such facilities include critical state and federal government agencies, sewage pumping stations, and schools or other buildings that can be used as shelters for customers who are still without power.

 

PRIORITY 3
Illustration showing how priority is placed on restoring power to individual customers during the Priority Three phase of the power restoration process.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


During priority phases 1 and 2, power will typically be restored to a large percentage of all customers affected by the initial outage. However, damage to transformers, poles, and distribution and tap lines that serve small areas can leave clusters of outages (of anywhere from one to a few dozen customers each) scattered throughout the city. In the Priority 3 phase, we concentrate on restoring power to these customers. These "localized" pockets of damage are usually the most difficult and time-consuming to deal with.



Restoring Service

Last updated: 05/13/10