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Grocery stash just a Y2K precaution: TransAlta rep

Utility companies confident millennium bug in check

DEB GUERETTE Herald-Tribune staff

Major Alberta utility companies say it's 'all systems go' when clocks strike the year 2000 - but precautions and contingency plans are in place for the unexpected, including the workplace site storage of groceries for staff by at least one electrical company. TransAlta Utilities Corporation purchased $15,000 of groceries in September for the 500 staff members it has scheduled to man all power station sites for two shifts New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The utility company mostly serves the southern half of the province - up to about 100 miles north of Whitecourt and east over to the Lac La Biche area - but it is a provincial power grid player. TransAlta, like ATCO Electric, has already tested and turned all operating system clocks to the year 2000 and they are working without problem, says TransAlta Y2K project leader Gary Steeves. Purchasing groceries for staff, which he says received some negative media coverage in Edmonton earlier in the fall, is just part of very thorough contingency planning. Most power substations are in relatively remote locations with "no McDonald's next door" and the company is not predicting problems, just looking after staff, Steeves said. "We don't think there will be any issue during the rollover (of the new year). We think we will be sending everyone home and then we plan to donate the food to the food bank," Steeves said. "We believe it is going to be a non-event. We don't expect any issues - but we are still prepared," Steeves said. Normally, the utility company has about 100 staff working at sites across the province on any given shift. The extra staff, equipped with radios in case other communication systems fail, will leave the company "in better shape than any other day of the year," to handle any operating problems, he said. On New Year's Eve, ATCO Electric also plans to triple the number of staff, from 100 to 300, who normally work at power stations and substations in the province. The company has not stocked up on groceries for employees, but is making some catering arrangements "for people who have to work over the midnight hour," Y2K project manager Greg Walker said. ATCO began Y2K readiness plans in 1995 and all the utility company's operating systems have already been turned to the year 2000, Walker said. "If you were to look at a computer in our Grande Cache control room - which is the closest power generating station to Grande Prairie - you would see a year 2000 date on the screen," Walker said. "We feel very good about the work we have done, we are fully prepared for Y2K. If today was Dec. 31, we would be ready to go," Walker said. Employees will nonetheless be on site at key stations - ready to handle any technical glitches that might arise, he said. Staff will be able to restore any outages manually and will have radio equipment to communicate with head offices in case of telephone system failure, Walker said. Once New Year's - and Leap Year's Feb. 29 - Y2K sensitive dates pass, ATCO will reset its operating system clocks back to proper dates, Walker said. ATCO Gas has also been working on Y2K readiness since 1995, says Y2K project leader Charles Teeuwsen. All major critical and high priority systems were tested and Y2K ready in March, while other non-critical business systems were Y2K ready before the end of July, Teeuwsen said. "We anticipate a non-event. We don't expect any problems," he said. About 450 of the utility company's employees will be working or on standby on New Year's Eve, he said. That number is "considerably more than normal," but it is just part of comprehensive contingency planning for the unexpected, Teeuwsen said. The ATCO group of companies - gas, electric and pipeline - have collectively invested about $12 million on its Y2K readiness plan, he said. ATCO's preparations, however, do not include storing groceries for employees, though staff working overtime may be reimbursed for meals, he said.

-- Homer Beanfang (Bats@inbellfry.com), December 03, 1999

Answers

Why is that you and I put aside a few groceries (not even close to 15K worth) and we are considered hoarders and kooks that are creating shortages?

-- (rcarver@inacom.com), December 03, 1999.

For the record, this was what was being said about the reliability of Alberta's power suppies in July...

July 6, 1999

Lights won't go out in switch to 2000

Dennis Hryciuk
[Edmonton] Journal Staff Writer
Edmonton

Cautious Albertans won't be convinced, but a provincial electrical power agency said Monday it's unlikely that there will be any blackouts as 1999 switches into 2000.

That's because all of Alberta's major power companies have met a North American deadline for stating they're ready for the millennium transition in their computer systems, said Bill Kennedy, of ESBI Alberta Ltd.

ESBI is a company that manages the electrical transmission system in Alberta.

"We can't say 100 per cent, but we're sure going to minimize the likelihood of anything happening," Kennedy said.

He made the comments after ESBI announced Alberta's main power utility firms had met a June 30 deadline set by the North American Electric Reliability Council for reporting Y2K readiness.

The Y2K computer problem -- also known as the millennium bug -- could potentially shut down a variety of businesses and services, including power, water and heating.

Kennedy said, after extensive testing and repairing of systems at the various power companies, Albertans can be assured there won't be disruptions as New Year's Eve ticks into the next millennium.

"It's like driving a car. If you're going to take a long trip, you wouldn't do so without a maintenance check to make sure you have a safe journey. But it wouldn't prevent a flat tire."

Power companies throughout North America will, nevertheless, do a continent-wide test of communications systems in the early hours of Sept. 9 to deal with possible problems, Kennedy added.

It will be a larger and more thorough test than a similar one conducted last April that found some minor problems, he said.

Blackouts outside Alberta would be unlikely to cause a domino effect within the province because systems have been set up to cut off interconnections to the power grid in that event, said Kennedy.

"We would automatically disconnect the transmission line if there were problems in Saskatchewan or B.C."

At Edmonton Power, spokesperson Lynn Hutchings said the company is not expecting any Y2K problems after testing systems and refining its contingency plans.

About three per cent of equipment in generators has been found to have potential Y2K problems and those will be fixed by year-end, Hutchings said.

[ENDS]

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 03, 1999.

$15,000 for 500 employees for two shifts New Year's Eve and Day = $15 a day per person, that isn't excessive. Hmmm...Wonder what's on the menu? If they gotta work, I think they deserve the free lunches.

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 03, 1999.

[and here's what was originally reported on this story in September...]

Electric company grocery spree food for thought! By BERNARD PILON, EDMONTON SUN
29th September, 1999

Alberta's major power supplier is stockpiling huge pallets of groceries and other emergency items should Y2K bugs turn out the lights, The Sun has learned.

Two weeks after city-owned EPCOR snapped up a backup generator should Jan. 1, 2000, turn into a computer-fouling disaster, TransAlta Corp. admitted yesterday to buying up to $15,000 in supplies, mainly canned goods, at a Save-On-Foods outlet.

The huge grocery bill - rung up last week at the B.C.-based chain's Sherwood Park location - is one of several being rung up so as many as 500 TransAlta workers can eat and see in the dark if Y2K woes strike any of its 250 remote switching stations. "If nothing goes wrong, we've got a bunch of groceries for the food bank," said TransAlta's Y2K project leader, Gary Steeves.

"We're pretty confident things will be all right. We just have to look at the worst-case scenario for critical times." Steeves didn't know how much TransAlta will ultimately spend on emergency foodstuffs.

Food and other items will be parcelled out to rural switching stations - all of which will be manned when Dec. 31 ticks down to 2000 - so TransAlta crews won't go hungry should they have to tackle a Y2K bug, he said.

Steeves calls the grocery list prudent planning.

University of Alberta computer science prof Randy Goebel calls it a confidence-buster - one that'll only make people skeptical of rosy predictions by electrical companies and other high-tech industries of a no-hassles new year.

"This has the potential to be very scary," Goebel said of TransAlta's latest addition to its $30-million Y2K price tag.

"The thing I'd worry about is a lot of the things we've heard about Y2K problems is (designed) to reassure people. Now, all of a sudden, we find this strange behaviour. It's alarming."

Goebel - convinced Y2K's bark will be much, much worse than any bite - skewered TransAlta for not thinking about how word of their shopping may trigger public uneasiness.

"For them to go out and spend $15,000 in one day in September - and (media) find out about it - shows they haven't thought of how this can be seen," said Goebel, an expert in database systems and network information.

Save-On-Foods spokesman Dennis Kinsey said from company headquarters in Langley, B.C., that TransAlta should be praised, not condemned, for raising awareness of possible Y2K woes in a public that's too complacent.

"I think you'll see consumers, definitely, get more prepared. The benefit of Y2K is it raises one's level of crisis management," Kinsey said.

[ENDS]

-- John Whitley (jwhitley@inforamp.net), December 03, 1999.

I thought there was an earlier article that stated the the utilites in Edmonton not only had bought a HUGE back-up generator, but also spent $90,000 on ONE shopping trip at a grocery store. Anyone else see this article, please?

I'm looking in different sites' archives, but haven't been able to find it so far....

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 03, 1999.

Deb, You're partially correct...I didn't save the link to another article that came out at the same time as the September one posted here, but apparently TransAlta made several $15,000 purchases at various locations; this article referred only to the one in Sherwood Park.

Let's debunk this "remote locations" story right away, with "no McDonald's next door." If Atco can find caterers that will work, why can't TransAlta? In addition, the entire province is heavily serviced by the trucking industry, with many 24 x 7 restaurants catering to that industry throughout. Has TransAlta ever stocked-up on food like this before for its "remote locations?"

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), December 03, 1999.

Hokie, I thought the same thing. 15 grand for the holiday weekend for 450 employees? What are the cooks feeding them? Mini quiches with caviar on top and evian water to drink? Prociutto and veal canapes? Tenderloin Steaks with butter lettuce salads with twice cooked potatoes on the side?

-- (formerly known as nobody@noshere.sss), December 03, 1999.

Rachel,

Thanks! I've looked all over and couldn't find the link to the article. I knew that I had read it somewhere!

Hokie,

"$15.00 per person doesn't seem excessive..."

What my concern is HOW MUCH are they buying for each employee. With such huge purchases, there are bound to be LARGE discounts. The larger the discount, the more food can be bought... I'll bet they're going for at least a two-week stock for each employee.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 03, 1999.

Our local (Sulphur Springs, Texas) emergency management coordinator told us last night that they have plans to commandeer food from a local grocery store to feed the city workers and volunteers.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 03, 1999.