Recent History – 1999
June 9, 1999, By Daily News Staff
HUDSON’S HOPE – Electricity supply to customers should not be interrupted, BC Hydro says, when a test to gauge the effectiveness of a backup power supply on a generating station is conducted this Saturday. A restoration test will be done on the GM Shrum (GMS) generating station to see if the plant can be restarted and reconnected to the power system using only the on-site diesel generators.
“Mackenzie and the Peace communities will remain connected to the B.C. electricity grid, with local power supply from Peace Canyon generating station at Hudson’s Hope and the McMahon co-generation plant at Taylor,” said Peace area generation manager Ron Fernandes. The test is part of routine system testing, and adds to the refinement of Hydro’s Year 2000 contingency plans.
“It’s standard procedure to conduct this type of off-line start capability testing,” Fernandes said. “We did a similar test at GMS in the past, where two generators were taken off-line and reconnected. Saturday’s test will build on the previous one by taking all ten generators off-line and then reconnecting them to the power grid.”
Fernandes said Hydro does not expect power outages due to Year 2000 issues, and as of May 31, its “mission critical” systems have been remediated and are now Year 2000 ready. The restoration test contributes to Hydro’s contingency planning — added precautions to ensure Hydro is able to continue to provide service under unforeseen adverse conditions, Year 2000-related and otherwise.
“Year 2000 preparedness has put us all in a heightened state of awareness,” Fernandes said. “We are taking advantage of this to put one of our most important facilities to the test.”
Since GMS is British Columbia’s largest generating facility, supplying more than 25 per cent of the province’s electricity, it would play a key role in restoring power to B.C. in the event of a major power disturbance.