Aging grids cited in blackouts

The nation’s power system may be showing its age.

Recent heat wave-related blackouts in California and New York are at least partly being blamed on creaky transformers, circuit breakers and cables.

And smaller outages in cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Houston will be investigated to see if aging parts played a role, says Stan Johnson of the North American Electric Reliability Council.

Low investment in interstate transmission lines could lead to more regional blackouts, such as the one that hit the Northeast in August 2003. The trends show the need to pump more money into the power grid to meet demand, federal officials say. That would mean higher consumer rates.

“There is a need to spend more,” says Gerry Cauley, vice president of standards for the reliability council.

While Johnson says the USA’s power grid handled the heat spell well, key trouble spots were exposed:

USA Today