OG&E temporary service interruptions halted, all power restored
This article has been updated Wednesday to reflect OG&E's latest information.
OG&E customers may experience temporary service interruptions through the next several days as the region endures severe winter weather.
As of 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, there were no outages on the OG&E system. Tuesday night, crews restored power to all customers with outages related to Tuesday's weather. OG&E states they are continuing to monitor today's weather and temperatures and have more than 1,000 restoration personnel on the system to address any issues.
OG&E reported fewer than 4,000 customers without power Tuedsay night as a result of weather-related outages.
Controlled Service Interruptions
As of Wednesday, Southwest Power Pool continues to pause temporary service interruptions. The potential for the reinstatement of short-term service interruptions remains as the extreme cold weather in the region, combined with the high demand for natural gas, continues. Should mandated interruptions resume, OG&E states it will make every effort to communicate with customers about the service interruption and estimated restoration.
"Given the fluidity of the situation, prior notification is not guaranteed," OG&E states. "We are encouraging customers to prepare for the possibility of controlled service interruptions as these conditions continue."
OG&E does not have the ability to exclude a particular home on a circuit experiencing a controlled service interruption. Customers with concerns due to life-sustaining equipment should contact their physician for guidance.
Southwest Power Pool notified OG&E Tuesday that "an unprecedented high demand for electricity and natural gas" could lead to more short-term outages as people work from home, care for their families and maintain businesses in the bitter cold. This announcement came around 4 p.m. Tuesday after OG&E initiated controlled outages that lasted from one to two hours that morning.
OG&E customers should be prepared for outages even though the company has not yet indicated they will resume. They will try to communicate with customers in advance.
"These interruptions in services are due to several factors resulting from widespread, long-lasting and extreme cold weather," the 4 p.m. Tuesday news release states.
SWEPCO
Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO), one of SPP's other member companies, stated the winter storm on Tuesday and Wednesday may cause extended outages to customers but had not indicated whether it will resume its controlled outages on Tuesday afternoon. SWEPCO initiated controlled outages on Tuesday morning and Monday.
While SPP and its member companies work to restore the regional power grid to full capacity, OG&E and SWEPCO are urging its customers to reduce electricity use.
You can help by taking simple conservation steps such as:
• Set thermostats lower than usual, if health permits
• Postpone using major electric appliances such as stoves, dishwashers, and clothes dryers until mid-day or after 9 p.m. when the demand for electricity decreases
• Turn off electric lights and appliances that you do not need or are not using
• Businesses should minimize the use of electric lighting and electricity-consuming equipment as much as possible
• Large consumers of electricity should consider shutting down or reducing non-essential production processes
For more information about OG&E, visit their website at http://www.oge.com or follow them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ogepower and Twitter: @OGandE.
SWEPCO also provides updates at SWEPCO.com, and on the company’s Facebook and Twitter pages.