This was a stuffer in the electric bill I got today..........

Tests help Confirm Our Readiness For YEAR 2000

FPL has passed two important tests (emphasis mine) to confirm our readiness for the arrival of the year 2000 and related Y2K issues. Y2K centers around the concern that computers - originally programmed to use only the last two digits of the year - will read the year 2000 as 1900 and begin malfunctioning.

First, we participated in a two-day nationwide drill sponsored by the North American Electric Reliability Council. The drill consisted of aproximately 30 different scenarios to test utility contingency plans, resources and backup communications systems. Radios and satellite telephones were used, for example, to talk to other utilities and to coordinate the transfer of important data between our facilities and our system operations areas. In each of the scenarios, our contingency plans were successful.

In addition, all of our equipment performed without interruption during the roll-over date of Sept. 9, 1999. This was the date - 9999 - that some computer programmers used as "end of file."

FPL has been working on the Y2K issues for the past four years, and these recent tests underscore our belief that there will be no majoe disruptions to your electrical service during the transition to the year 2000.

Gee....I'm glad they tested so thoroughly......

-- Bob (bob@bob.bob), October 25, 1999

Answers

Well, I seem to recall they were the first in the continental US, to test individual generation and transmission systems, find problems and start fixing them.

I'd rather have them then my power company, who were slow off the start, or some of the real idiots who are going to fix on failure.

-- ng (cantprovideemail@none.com), October 25, 1999.

"our contingency plans were successful."

"all of our equipment performed without interruption during the roll- over date of Sept. 9, 1999."

What a load of crap...buy a generator.

-- Uncle Bob (UNCLB0B@Y2KOK.ORG), October 25, 1999.

<< ... these recent tests underscore our belief that there will be no majoe disruptions to your electrical service ...>>

These two drills were nice, but prove very little. But i guess that the "Minor" disruptions to your electrical service won't be too much of a problem either.

Why didn't they really explain what was tested, in which power plants, what distribution centers, what contingency plans they actually have finished, how they actually exercised their workers - on all 3 shifts, in all power plants, under as many scenarios as possible?

This kind of report could hide many things - including the fact that they really did more testing than what was reported by their own department - but it certainly shows a simple disregard for testing - if this is all they did to ensure reliability - I'll almost guarrantee significant failures......long-lasting, hard to fix failures.

When they really finished (word I last read at the middle of the summer for Florida was that FPL was only 75% through, and was "scheduled" to finish in mid-late November) would be nice to know as well. Maybe they are reading the schedule they sent to Mr. Koskinen, not the schedule they actually are using?

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), October 25, 1999.

I suppose it wouldn't be incorrect to describe those drills as tests of their contingency plans (which they're careful to do). But it's not easy to fail such a test, and contingency plans don't have a hell of a lot to do with major disruptions during transition, except insofar as they may speed up the restoration of service somewhat.

Interesting that they'd mail this out in a stuffer. Surely they have something more concrete to talk about?

-- Flint (flintc@mindspring.com), October 25, 1999.

Contingency plans DON'T have much of anything to do with real testing for Y2K problems! But this kind of baloney leads the average person to believe the system has been tested for the real snafu's and PASSED!

-- (normally@ease.notnow), October 25, 1999.

sorry, the post I was trying to write before this one just took off on me, and flew right into the thread before I was finished!! (how does it do that??) Anyway, my point was to be that FPL was the company a customer called a few months ago to inquire about procedures for fixing transformers, and the person who answered volunteered that "80 percent of all FPL customers" will have power in January, 2000, so dont worry. So which part of the equation are you?

-- (normally@ease.notnow), October 25, 1999.

As an unfortunate FPL customer, and knowing a few souls over there, I just want to know how they leaped from 48% complete on remediations in January (note, not testing at all) to "everything is A-OK"...
Clintonlogy is a scary thing.
But then again...I've got candles, do you?
John

-- John Galt (jgaltfla@hotmail.com), October 25, 1999.

They talked to each other over radio. They were able to do this. Maybe they should learn to transmit in Morse.

-- Spidey (in@jam.dialtone), October 26, 1999.

http://www.fpl.com/

-- J (jart5@bellsouth.net), October 26, 1999.