Why electric grid failed in Ida
Entergy said it was upgrading power lines and equipment to withstand major storms
Just weeks before Hurricane Ida knocked out power to much of Louisiana, leaving its residents exposed to extreme heat and humidity, the CEO of Entergy, the state’s biggest utility company, told Wall Street that it had been upgrading power lines and equipment to withstand big storms.
“Building greater resiliency into our system is an ongoing focus,” the CEO, Leo Denault, told financial analysts on a conference call Aug. 4, adding that Entergy was replacing its towers and poles with equipment “able to handle higher wind loading and flood levels.”
Denault’s statements would soon be tested harshly. On the last Sunday in August, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana and dealt a catastrophic blow to Entergy’s power lines, towers and poles, many of which were built decades ago to withstand much weaker hurricanes. The company had not upgraded or replaced a lot of that equipment with more modern gear designed to survive the 150-mph wind gusts that Ida brought to bear on the state.
A hurricane like Ida would have been a challenge to any power system built over many decades that contains a mix of dated and new equipment. But some energy experts said Entergy was clearly unprepared for the Category 4 storm despite what executives have said about efforts to strengthen its network.
Ida damaged or destroyed 31,000 poles that carry lower-voltage distribution lines in neighborhoods, nearly twice as many as Hurricane Katrina, according to Entergy.
Lawmakers and regulators require utilities to ensure safe, reliable service at an affordable cost. The grid failure after Ida is the latest display of how power companies are struggling to fulfill those obligations. In California, electricity providers have been forced to shut off power to tens of thousands of customers in recent years to prevent their equipment from setting off wildfires and to reduce energy demand during heat waves. In February, the grid in most of Texas failed during a winter storm, leaving millions of people without power and heat for days.
While Entergy has been upgrading its transmission network to bear wind speeds in excess of 140 mph, a lot of its transmission equipment in and around New Orleans was built to withstand wind gusts of around 110 mph, or a Category 2 storm, according to an analysis of regulatory filing and other company records by McCullough Research, a consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon, that advises power companies and government agencies. Entergy said that analysis was inaccurate but would not say how many of its transmission structures were built to withstand 150-mph winds. The company has said that its towers met the safety standards in place at the time of installation, but older standards often assumed wind speeds well below 150 mph.
Residents said they might also question whether state regulators and city officials did enough to require Entergy to upgrade its equipment more quickly. The company has to seek approval for new investments and the electricity rate increases that pay for them. Utility regulators can require companies to increase spending or aim it at specific upgrades. Some energy experts have also suggested that regulators consider requiring utilities to put more power lines underground, an expensive approach that comes with its own problems.