North Carolina Sees Widespread Power Outages From Irene

Hurricane Irene so far has left an estimated 438,000 utility customers without power in North Carolina and Virginia as line crews begin assessing storm damage, two of the region's largest utilities said Saturday.

Progress Energy Inc. (PGN) reported around 250,000 customers without power concentrated in coastal North Carolina. Dominion Resources Inc. (D) reported about 188,000 customers in northern North Carolina and southern Virginia without power.

"We have begun feeling the effects, and there is more ahead," said Karl Neddenien, a spokesman for Dominion.

Utilities crews in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions such as Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) and Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED) are preparing as Hurricane Irene moves up the coast as a Category 1 storm carrying maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Progress Energy said it expects to begin restoring power in southern sections of its service territory later Saturday once winds slow, making it safe for line crews to work. The utility has not shuttered any of its power plants. As a precaution, Progress reduced power output at its Brunswick nuclear plant located near Southport, N.C., but the storm has passed the facility, Progress spokesman Mike Hughes said.

Progress has had some outages along its high-voltage transmission line system, but hasn't yet gotten a chance to assess it for possible damage, Hughes said.

Although the number of outages is likely to grow, Hurricane Irene has affected mostly coastal areas. Hurricane Fran in 1996 cut right through the center of Progress's service territory in the Carolinas knocking out power to 800,000 customers, Hughes said.

Dominion did not shut any of its power plants ahead of the storm. The company's Surry nuclear power plant in southeastern Virginia continues to operate, while its North Anna nuclear plant in central Virginia remains shut following an earthquake earlier this week, Neddenien said.

Both Dominion and Progress have bulked up the size of their line crews bringing in workers and equipment from out of state to begin restoring power once wind speeds slow.

--By Mark Peters, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-253-8906; mark.peters@dowjones.com

Public Service Enterprise (NYSE:PEG)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2024 to Jun 2024