MEC&F Expert Engineers : POWER PLANT EXPLOSION AT SMECO CAUSES BRIEF POWER OUTAGE IN DC, MD., INCLUDING THE WHITE HOUSE

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

POWER PLANT EXPLOSION AT SMECO CAUSES BRIEF POWER OUTAGE IN DC, MD., INCLUDING THE WHITE HOUSE




APRIL 7, 2015

WASHINGTON (WUSA9) 

Pepco: Issue With Power Plant Transmission Line Responsible For DC Power Outages

An explosion at a Maryland power plant is to blame for a region-wide power outage that has impacted the White House, the Capitol, the University of Maryland and other buildings in D.C. and Maryland on Tuesday afternoon, according to an official.

Homeland security officials believe an explosion at a SMECO power facility in southern Maryland caused the surge into DC - @byaaroncdavis

D.C. Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spokeswoman Robyn Johnson told the Associated Press that the outage affected 8,000 customers in the District.

Utility company Pepco says a dip in voltage was experienced shortly before 1 p.m. — but that it was caused by an issue with a transmission line.

There was never a loss of permanent electric supply but dip in voltage caused equipment at some facilities to transfer to backup systems.

— Pepco (@PepcoConnect) April 7, 2015

Electricity in the White House press briefing room dipped around lunchtime, but service resumed within seconds.

Power also went out at the State Department during the daily press briefing.

Metro tweeted that several train stations were on backup power.

MTPD units responding to assist at all stations affected by power outages. No elevator entrapments reported at any station. #wmata
— Metro Transit Police (@MetroTransitPD) April 7, 2015

University of Maryland officials say their entire campus was affected and the university closed at 2 p.m.

The Smithsonian tweeted that the outage affected some museums, and they were evacuated.

Weather in the area was overcast, but there were no storms.

Airports in the area have not been affected.

There is a campus-wide power outage. Crews are working on addressing the problem. Thank you for your patience.
— Wallace D. Loh (@presidentloh) April 7, 2015

Reports of a campus-wide power outage, we are responding to stuck elevators. Remain calm if in elevator and use call phone unless emergent.
— College Park Fire (@CPFD) April 7, 2015

Please note, there is a massive power outage affecting much of the area, from College Park to DC. Traffic lights are out in many areas.
— Brandywine VFD (@BrandywineVFD) April 7, 2015

We are not sure what has caused it, but as we receive information we will pass it along to our followers. Please do not call the station.
— Brandywine VFD (@BrandywineVFD) April 7, 2015

Metro is without power at many stations. Train operations aren't effected, but emergency lighting is on at those stations
— Brandywine VFD (@BrandywineVFD) April 7, 2015

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D.C. utilities and homeland security officials are investigating a power surge that temporarily knocked out power to the White House, parts of downtown Washington and other nearby areas. 

D.C. homeland security officials said an explosion at a southern Maryland electrical facility is believed to have caused the power surge that temporarily knocked out power to the White House and much of downtown Washington.

The explosion was at a facility run by SMECO, a customer-owned electric that serves parts of the District’s Maryland suburbs, said Nicole Chapple, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency

Chris T. Geldart, director of the agency, said the District experienced a broad power surge that left many downtown buildings dark or on backup generation. 

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Power Surges

Power surges occur when something boosts the electrical charge at some point in the power lines. This causes an increase in the electrical potential energy, which can increase the current flowing to your wall outlet. A number of different things can cause this to happen.

The most familiar source is probably lightning, though it's actually one of the least common causes. When lightning strikes near a power line, whether it's underground, in a building or running along poles, the electrical energy can boost electrical pressure by millions of volts. This causes an extremely large power surge that will overpower almost any surge protector. In a lightning storm, you should never rely on your surge protector to save your computer. The best protection is to unplug your computer.

A more common cause of power surges is the operation of high-power electrical devices, such as elevators, air conditioners and refrigerators. These high-powered pieces of equipment require a lot of energy to switch on and turn off components like compressors and motors. This switching creates sudden, brief demands for power, which upset the steady voltage flow in the electrical system. While these surges are nowhere near the intensity of a lightning surge, they can be severe enough to damage components, immediately or gradually, and they occur regularly in most building's electrical systems.

Other sources of power surges include faulty wiring, problems with the utility company's equipment, and downed power lines. The system of transformers and lines that brings electricity from a power generator to the outlets in our homes or offices is extraordinarily complex. There are dozens of possible points of failure, and many potential errors that can cause an uneven power flow. In today's system of electricity distribution, power surges are an unavoidable occurrence.