During an outage, each member would like to know when their power will be restored so they can plan accordingly. Unfortunately, that’s a difficult question to answer. In the case of significant repairs, it often isn’t until the final hours of a restoration effort that the co-op can offer an estimated time of restoral with a high degree of confidence.

“Repair priorities may shift during a major storm event, as the nature and scope of the damage become clear,” said Joe Richardson, the co-op’s communications coordinator. “Crews aren’t simply repeating the same task in the same place, so repair times can vary dramatically from one site to the next.”

Each job site is a component of the overall distribution system, and yet it’s unique, Richardson said. “When crews arrive on site, they have to identify the source of the outage. Sometimes it’s obvious—a broken pole or a downed line. Many times, it’s more subtle and difficult to identify. Before they begin work, they may patrol the line looking for additional damage that contributed to the outage or that may complicate the repair.”

After linemen have identified the nature of the outage, they assess safety factors, both in the immediate environment and up and down the line. They consider how their work may affect operations elsewhere, and notify the co-op’s dispatch center and other crews accordingly.

The repair work itself may be in a subdivision, field, marsh—in any number of environments. “When you consider Southwestern maintains more than 3,500 miles of powerline, and the variables that influence the time and complexity of each job, it becomes evident why reliable restoration estimates are difficult to offer—especially when hundreds or thousands of people are without power over a widespread area. Rather than provide inaccurate estimates, we’re straightforward,” Richardson said. “We explain we’re not in a position to offer a reliable estimated time of restoration.”