I have received information from a 'reliable source' concerning a coal-fired power plant in the midwest (no I won't identify further). It seems they are having Y2k problems; I don't have specific details. However, it seems at though they are trying to hold things together with duct tape and binder twine. My impression is that some things are starting to come unraveled. It appears that the utilities have done some things (maybe back-dating computers, etc.) to keep going, perhaps while implementing fix-on-fail. Tick, tick, tick. "It ain't over folks." Keep those kerosene heaters handy, just in case.

-- Y2kObserver (Y2kObserver@nowhere.com), January 09, 2000

Answers

They are trying to solve a Y2K problem by using duct tape and binder twine?

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), January 09, 2000.

They should contact Gary North. I'm sure he has enough duct tape to solve their Y2K problem.

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), January 09, 2000.

Thanks for the first-hand report. We first became interested in Y2K in August of 1998. A good friend worked for an engineering consulting firm doing Y2K remediation in the Midwest. He casually told us they had finished remediation in a particular power plant (so they thought), rolled the clock over in a real time test, and *poof* the plant went down. Seems they forgot something. As I recall, he told me oil wasn't pumped into some machine which burned out which took the plant out of service for 6 weeks.

"Six weeks?" I queried. "Why?" Because that's how long it took to get the proper parts to replace what burned out and put it back in service.

No, I never read anything about this in the papers. But it did make us research the issue and take what we feel are appropriate actions.

Sorry I can't describe the problem in more technical terms.

I am just a dumb, naive housewife,

-- J Wheel (motherof5@wellprepared.noregrets), January 09, 2000.

I for one appreciate the post on the power plant. Rick Cowles predicted that y2k problems with power would peak mid January, and he may have been right. In Sevier County (TVA power, East Tennessee) the other day we had a county wide blackout for about 50 minutes, do not know the cause.

-- Les (holladayl@aol.com), January 09, 2000.

My dear Mr/ Miz Y2KObserver

My dear sir (or madam) as the case may be. I truely wish that you would have placed a name to this power generating complex. There wold have been no fall out from that (either to you;or any one else). It is rather difficult to place a rating as to the seriousness of such a undisclosed report. While not being a polly, by any streach of the imagiation. Even I find it rather difficult, when plant names are with held.

It is true that all manner of "patches" and "make do" efforts where used to insure that the electeicty would be flowing through the grid on the roll over. And there WILL indeed be numerous (but I hope not fatal to continued production) failures. One musthave inforation in order to place a level of importance on a news posting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Shakey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

-- Shakey (in_a_bunker@forty.feet), January 09, 2000.

Y2kObserver,

Your post is interesting, even provocative.

However, without more specifics, this post may get flamed by the pollys as more "doomer disinformation."

Why you do not wish to further identify the plant? If you "don't have specific details," how can you come to the conclusion that "...it seems at(sic) though they are trying to hold things together with duct tape and binder twine?"

I agree with you; it isn't over. I am also glad you provided this post. More detailed information would be helpful, however.

Not trying to quibble,

Don

-- Shimoda (enlighten@me.com), January 09, 2000.

Butt Nugget

Maybe you should put some of that tape over your mouth.

-- justwondering (justwondering@giveitabreak.com), January 09, 2000.

O.K. I did it, but now I can't get it off. And I can't talk, so how can I ask for help? Fortunately I can still type.

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), January 09, 2000.

Y2KObserver, Would you consider giving more details? Thank you. =)

-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), January 09, 2000.

Yes good observer we need more data

Thanks

-- Alex The Italian (alexcapr@yours.com), January 09, 2000.

The power plant is located on the Ohio River and serves a relatively small community - probably of less that 25,000 customers. There are a number of these scattered all along the river. They are all coal-fired and most were built shortly after WWII. To what extent they have been upgraded over the years, I don't know. However the person who worked there was not sure that they were going to be able to stay in production. I know we had a commentor some time ago who was described as a manager of a fairly large midwest power facility who was very concerned about some of the smaller utilities and the ability of his company to provide power to their customers if they failed. This plant on the Ohio may be one of the ones he was concerned about.

-- Y2kObserver (Y2kObserver@nowhere.com), January 09, 2000.

I have done some traveling down 57(?) along the Ohio river/West Va. border. There is at least one big nuke plant there. It occurred to me at the time (15 years ago) that they better not have a flood.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), January 09, 2000.

That's U. S. Hwy. 52--- fwiw

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), January 10, 2000.

It is amazing how much high tech stuff runs a coal plant. Lets look at some of the stuff fro generation, Coal delivery, unloading, trasfer to boilers (either compressed air, or conveyors), conveyor to boiler, paddles to shoot coal (or ginders and compressed air to shoot ground coal), grate to carry coal ashes, vacuum tansfer of ashes to storage bin (hate it when they catch fire), forced under grate air, air exhaust fan (yes the d/p across filters), and the pollution control equipment. Oh yes, they P.C. that monitors the air quality and has to report this to the EPA. Now that doesn't count the PLC controllers and SCADA feeding a central control panel/room and the turbine/electrical generation.

HHHhhhmmmm, Not a lot of interrelated pieces here, no sirree. Nope can't see anything tha

-- Squid (ItsDark@down.here), January 10, 2000.

Forrest, you're probably thinking of Beaver Valley 1 & 2, located in Shippingport, right outside of Aliquippa. For what it's worth, there was a fire nearby recently: http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a- fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=002HCU LTV Plant fire thread

But, according to this: http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=002HWW 7 nuke plants, etc. thread Both nukes are back up to 100%, as of 1/7/2000.

For more info on BV, check here. Hmm, that's probably more than you want. Suffice to say, if there's a flood big enough to close the plant, it won't be floating downstream later.

-- harl (harlanquin@aol.hell), January 10, 2000.

Harl, I think Forrest is referring to a plant in Ohio. On the evening of Jan 1, we drove past BV 1&2 into Ohio and down 52 to Wheeling to celebrate the fact that power was miraculously flowing, world wide. Went to see, appropriately, Ogelby's Festival of Lights. I was struck by the number of power plants we passed as we followed the Ohio southward, and was surprised as we rounded one curve, to see a cooling tower emerge from the river's rising mist.

By the way, the steel plant fire in Aliquippa wasn't "near" the Beaver Valley units. Somewhere around 10 miles away. (Thanks for the links to info about my neighboring nukes. Appreciate it.)

-- Faith Weaver (suzsolutions@yahoo.com), January 10, 2000.

Galipolis (Gal-i-pol-lese) has a nice sized one we saw a few years ago, right on the river. Interesting thing is that the coal slurry goes over the roadway for the highway. (Rt 7).

Chuck

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 10, 2000.

Well let's see. Davis-Besse NPP is 21 miles outside of Toledo, and Perry NPP is in Independence, about 37 miles east of Cleveland.

Ah, here. You can check this map for locations. It's at http://www.cannon.net/~gonyeau/nuclear/us1.htm in case that link doesn't work.

But looking at this, Beaver Valley looks like the only likely candidates on the Ohio river.

Oh, and I said there was a fire 'nearby' which, considering some of our regulars are posting from New Zealand, I'd say 10 miles was close. Didn't mean to give the impression it was next door to the cooling towers, however. (Those are the coal-fired plants;) Sorry for any confusion.

-- harl (harlanquin@aol.hell), January 11, 2000.

Gee Harlequin,

Perry Nuclear is in Perry, OH a LONG way from Independence (1 1/2 counties away). (I live due west (thank the Fates) of Perry and north-east of Independence which is a SOUTHERN suburb of Cleveland).

The discussion is in ref COAL FIRED plants, PROBABLY on the OH side of the OH river.

-- Chuck, a night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 11, 2000.