A control area is like an airport (em too many planes, not enough runways.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AUGUST 21, 1996 - 8:35 A.M.
On Saturday, Aug. 10, 1996, a power outage left more than 4 million Californians without electricity, prompting the California Public Utilities Commission to conduct emergency hearings. Witnesses appeared from electric utilities and a host of federal and state agencies, including the Bonneville Power Administration, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Western Systems Coordinating Council.
ON WHO WAS NOTIFIED:
Commissioner Duque: When the first line went out, who was notified?
Mr. Vancoevering: I'm not sure. It's possible that we did not notify anyone.
Commissioner Duque: And when the second line went out, was anyone notified?
Mr. Vancoevering: When the second line went out, it's a possibility that we didn't notify anyone there, also, although Pacific Gas and Electric has data automatically sent to their computer system from ours that has an indication on the John Day-Marion line.
Commissioner Knight: And the third line?
Mr. Vancoevering: The Keeler-Allston line, when that line went, basically, the disturbance was triggered. And within, what, like six minutes after that basically the whole system has broken apart. So when the Keeler-Allston line went, there was really no time to take any action. All events after that were automatic events.
ON PREVENTIVE MEASURES:
Commissioner Conlon: Do we have simulators for control rooms for the control center like we have for nuclear plants and for airplane training?
Mr. Stahlkopf: Most definitely, we do.