Recent Power Outages

There has been a lot of discussion about the power outages that have occurred over the past couple of months. We enjoy a very stable power supply in Imperial, so it is quite inconvenient when the electricity is interrupted. There have been numerous posts and questions about the age of the city’s equipment, knowledge and ability of workers, reasons for the outage, etc, so we hope to dispel some of the rumors. Imperial is in a unique position of having electrical feeds from three sources. When one feed is interrupted for some reason, we can switch to another source for power, but that does not happen in an instant. Alternate suppliers have to make sure their customers are supplied and power is re-routed to our lines. In some cases, they are unable to supply power due to line/power damage of their own.

When there is a power outage, the first thing that supervisors must consider is when it is safe enough for workers to go out and try to identify the problem. Being in a bucket truck during a lightning storm is a dangerous call, and we will not risk the lives of our employees to reinstate electricity. When it is safe to be out, crews try to isolate the problem, and can then begin the process of repair. This has been an exceptional year for the electric system with wind and lightning damage. The substation in Imperial took a direct lightning hit, resulting in equipment that was destroyed. Pieces of the equipment can be observed at the City Office for those that are interested. There are no surge protectors that will protect against a direct strike. In the most recent outage, lightning hit a power line outside of town and opened a reclosure. The equipment functioned properly, and power was restored once the storm abated enough that crews were able to go out and find the problem. In at least two instances, the outages were a result of storm damage to our power supplier equipment and had nothing to do with City distribution equipment.

We do appreciate residents’ patience and cooperation during the power outages. We are fully aware that unexpected outages are an inconvenience and sometimes create additional hardships for our businesses and homeowners. Please be assured, however, that the outages have nothing to do with a reluctance or inability to provide proper equipment and labor.