Northeastern blackout of 2003
The Northeastern blackout of 2003 was a significant electrical outage that occurred on August 14, impacting a vast area of the northeastern United States and parts of Canada. The blackout originated from a failure in northern Ohio, triggered by a high-voltage power line making contact with overgrown trees due to sagging caused by intense heat. This initial fault led to a cascade of failures across the power grid, exacerbated by a malfunction in the alarm system at FirstEnergy Corporation, which left technicians unaware of the developing crisis. By 4:05 p.m., the cascading failures caused widespread outages, leaving approximately fifty million people without power.
The blackout lasted for varying durations, with many customers experiencing outages for up to four days. The incident resulted in significant economic damage, estimated at nearly $6 billion, and was linked to eleven fatalities. In response to the event, a task force identified a combination of human error and equipment failures as contributing factors, which prompted legislative actions, including the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This act empowered the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to establish and enforce reliability standards to prevent future occurrences, addressing critical issues such as tree management, technician training, and the overall resilience of the power grid.
On this Page
Northeastern blackout of 2003
The Event: A massive power outage that affected the northeastern United States and parts of Canada
Date: August 14–17, 2003
Place: northeastern United States and Canada
On August 14, 2003, much of the northeastern United States and parts of Canada were plunged into darkness after a massive cascade electrical failure. The power outage affected both major cities and small towns, leaving millions of customers without electricity for up to four days.
The blackout originated in northern Ohio, where a simple fault resulted in a widespread cascade failure that affected a large portion of the power grid across the Northeast. The initial fault, which occurred around 2:00 p.m., was the result of a high-voltage power line coming into contact with some overgrown trees. The line had softened and sagged from the intense heat caused by the electricity flowing through it. The contact with trees resulted in the power line being automatically shut down, as per normal safety protocols. At this point, the fault should have triggered an alarm at FirstEnergy Corporation’s control room, but the alarm system failed, and technicians at the utility company remained unaware of the situation.
In order to compensate for the now-inoperative power line, other high-voltage power lines began to take on increased power loads. Three of these lines also began to sag and brushed into trees, leading to more faults. As the remaining operating lines attempted to shoulder the extra burden, the system quickly became overtaxed. At 4:05 p.m., the rest of the FirstEnergy system shut down, triggering a cascade failure that caused widespread power outages in parts of New York, New Jersey, New England, and Canada.
Impact
The blackout left approximately fifty million people without power. While most customers had their power restored within two days, some were left in the dark for up to four days. The incident also resulted in close to $6 billion worth of damage and led to eleven deaths.
After a task force found that the blackout was caused by a combination of human error and equipment failures, Congress adopted the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which granted the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) the authority to approve and enforce reliability standards. As of 2008, FERC had approved ninety-six such standards, some of which directly address the factors that led to the 2003 blackout, such as overgrown trees, inadequate training, and power grid fault survivability.
Bibliography
Blackout August 14, 2003, Final Report. New York Independent System Operator (ISO), Feb. 2005. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
“The Economic Impacts of the August 2003 Blackout.” ELCON. Electricity Consumers Resource Council, 9 Feb. 2004. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Final Report on the August 14, 2003, Blackout in the United States and Canada. US-Canada Power System Outage Task Force. US Department of Energy, Apr. 2004. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
Minkel, J. R. “The 2003 Northeast Blackout—Five Years Later.” Scientific American. Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.