Blackout traced to one field engineer
Human error caused Tuesday's massive blackout across Florida, Armando Olivera, president of Florida Power & Light, said today.
At 1:08 p.m. Tuesday, a single field engineer working at the Flagami substation in western Miami-Dade County disabled a pair of safeguards that would have confined the outage to a few thousand customers, if any.
Instead, 584,000 FPL customers lost power, as did more than 200,000 customers in the Tampa Bay area.
The employee has been suspended with pay pending the outcome a thorough investigation, Olivera said.
The problem caused several power plants to shut down, including FPL's two nuclear reactors at Turkey Point, 25 miles south of Miami.
FPL also lost a large natural gas power plant at Turkey Point, and two other small power plants at other locations.
Tampa Electric lost power from two small natural gas plants. In all, 3,400-megawatts of generation was lost within several minutes.
- Asjylyn Loder, Times staff writer
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Hey he's only human..we make mistakes.. as long as it was not intentional.. He probably did something that hasnt been done for sometime... He really tested the safegaurds.. and ya know what.. They Worked....
Posted by: Ric | February 29, 2008 at 04:57 PM
Didn't know Homer Simpson worked down there.
Posted by: | February 29, 2008 at 05:07 PM
I have very little confidence that this utility has adequately hardened its resources. However, considering the lax oversight of folks in charge, I do not expect any significant reaction.
Posted by: Kathleen Ford | February 29, 2008 at 08:36 PM
I lived in Alaska, with my Mother. She later married the man she had been with -"Red" Harvey-a Montana and Alaska full Union pensioned IBEW electrician.
Have CEO FP&L executive explain how a "field engineer" would have violated EVERY ELECTRIC CODE AND NESC standards and removed primary and secondary back up breakers at a transformer station...
My mom's friend is a DOMESTIC ENGINEER-most people call that a MAID..
You mean with all the deals Lila jaber's PSC gave FP&L over 6 years, they cant even have an ELECTRICIAN do work at a transformer station? Because that man was NOT an electrician. Did they get CHEAP on LABOR!!!???
Posted by: peggy arvanitas | March 02, 2008 at 03:26 PM