Final blackout report to be done by mid

Final blackout report to be done by mid-February: US DOE official

Phoenix, Arizona (Platts)--8Jan2004

The final report of the US-Canada task force on the massive Aug 14 blackout should be finished by mid-February, the Dept of Energy's James Glotfelty, director of the office of electric transmission and distribution, said Thursday. Glotfelty also said at an industry conference in Phoenix, Arizona, that the joint task force investigating the blackout would hold a technical meeting Friday in Toronto.

The task force released its interim report in November, which pointed to actions by FirstEnergy and the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator as reasons why the blackout spread so quickly, forcing millions off-line in southern Canada, the Midwest and Northeast. The report said technical problems in FirstEnergy control rooms and its tree-trimming procedures were causes for concern. The report also faulted MISO's lack of communication with other grid operators. The interim report offered no recommendations for avoiding similar blackouts in the future, instead saying those would come in the final report.