MOST RECENT INTERRUPTION CAUSED BY ‘OVERLY AGGRESSIVE SQUIRREL’
It’s time for an update. Perhaps in more ways than one.
Consistent reliability issues with Evergy’s electrical service in large portions of Platte City was a hot topic last summer, as a string of outages in the previous several months had raised the ire of residents and business owners. The topic has never been far from the minds of a frustrated public, and later this month an update from the company will be given at an open meeting.
Evergy officials are slated to explain to the Platte County Commission their work in the last several months to improve reliability. That update will come in a public meeting with the county commission on Monday, Dec. 19.
Platte City residents and business owners are invited to attend, and to participate in the form of public comments on their own experiences and concerns with Evergy service.
Joe Vanover, second district county commissioner, says the commission meeting will begin at 10 a.m. on Dec. 19 at the Platte County Resource Center, which is located at 11724 NW Plaza Circle, Kansas City in Platte County (east of Interstate 29 at the airport exit.)
But the Evergy part of the meeting will start toward the end of the agenda that day.
“The public is welcome to attend and speak. If members of the Platte City community have any comments they want Evergy to hear, I can relay comments to Evergy during the meeting,” Vanover said.
Vanover explained “it is important for Evergy to know how power outages affect our businesses and the community.”
If you can’t attend but would like your comments heard, Vanover said members of the public can send their comments to him and he will read them at the meeting. Vanover’s email address is joe.vanover@co.platte.mo.us.
BACKGROUND
In a series of articles last summer by The Landmark, it was detailed how Evergy outages had affected Platte City customers.
Power outages in Platte City that some customers and government officials are considering too frequent and too lengthy have spurred complaints. Those complaints have been spoken in public online forums by customers and spoken in person to Evergy representatives by local government officials.
Problems with reliability of electrical service to customers in Platte City is not a new concern, having come up many times in recent years. Outages in recent years in the downtown business district have been frequent. Some customers say they believe the problem is getting more frequent. An unofficial count by some Evergy customers in Platte City indicates there have been four outages of about eight hours or more over the course of the past six months, it was reported by The Landmark in June.
The general area of the city that has been hit with frequent outages can be described as north of Hwy. 92 into downtown and south of Hwy. 92 along the Second and Fourth Street corridors. It is essentially everything west of the Platte County R-3 campus, city officials say.
Platte City serves as the county seat and as such is home to the Platte County Courthouse where court proceedings for the Sixth Judicial Circuit are held, the Platte County Administration building–home to the county’s administrative offices, as well as the county juvenile services office near Third and Main.
The most recent outage occurred on Sunday, Nov. 20 in the downtown area and beyond. Evergy officials told The Landmark the outage was “due to a squirrel coming into contact with Evergy electrical equipment.”
That squirrels are impacting their electrical service has brought some online ridicule for the company from Evergy customers, while Evergy maintains that squirrels cause problems for electrical providers everywhere.
Vanover had these comments about the Nov. 20 outage:
“On a clear and cold Sunday morning two weeks ago, the power went out at my church (located in the downtown area of Platte City), forcing the leaders to start discussing whether to cancel the service. Thankfully the electricity was restored and the furnace started warming the building again,” Vanover remarked.
“We all understand when the electricity goes out during a major storm. But our power grid should be strong enough to defend against an overly aggressive squirrel. It’s time for Evergy to do what it takes to provide reliable electricity to Platte City.”
Evergy says that 1,500 customers in Platte City were affected by that Nov. 20 outage, which lasted a little more than an hour.
Andrew Baker, senior communications manager for Evergy, told The Landmark this week that “squirrels are the animal most often associated with power outages, as the squirrels use electrical power lines both for travel and a place to rest.”
Baker said when a squirrel climbs onto an electrical transformer, it may cross the bare wife that leads from the high-voltage line to the transformer. “If the squirrel were to simultaneously touch this wire and a part of the transformer with sufficient electrical ground, an electrical short can cause both a power outage and the electrocution of the animal.”
Baker said when an Evergy outage is due to “wildlife,” 80-90% of the time that wildlife is a squirrel.
“This is consistent across the communities served by Evergy. Overall, squirrels create about five percent of all unplanned electrical outages for Evergy,” Baker remarked.
On new installations, Evergy takes precautions to keep animals out of its equipment, he said.
Critics say new installations are not the problem in Platte City, as critics say much of the Evergy system in the affected areas is aged.
On new installations, Baker says Evergy takes the following precautions regarding squirrels:
·Evergy installs squirrel guards on new installations where the conductor is connected to the transformer.
·Special guards prevent squirrels from running across overhead lines and reaching critical equipment. Spinning wheels on either side act as jump barriers and rollers spin if the squirrel makes it past the barriers.
·Special plastic or rubber covers fit over particular components, especially terminals where wires enter and exit from transformers.
·Tree trimming also reduces squirrel outages by removing some of their access to the power lines.
Baker says Evergy has “increased our tree trimming in the area as part of our work to reduce outages.”
COMMENTS FROM THE CITY
When power outages hit too frequently, officials with the City of Platte City hear from residents and business owners.
“Mayor (Tony) Paolillo and I are both participating in the Dec. 19 meeting with Evergy,” said DJ Gehrt, city administrator, when he responded to an inquiry from The Landmark.
Gehrt says the Dec. 19 meeting is the follow-up to the spring 2022 meeting between Evergy, the county, and the city.
Gehrt said at the spring meeting, Evergy identified several specific causes for the frequent power outages in Platte City with the most frequent causes being wind/tree damage to lines, animal damage to equipment and aging/failing small infrastructure items.
He said at the spring meeting, Evergy committed to implementing several actions to address the most frequent outage causes.
Those actions included:
•Implement a full tree trimming program in Platte City during summer/fall 2022
•Implement full small infrastructure inspection program to identify/correct issues with small items such as transformers, conductors, sectionalizers and above ground line connections
•Identify and implement measures to improve system/equipment protection for interaction/damage from animals.
•Replace major equipment/upgrade at the Platte City substation (not the substation at the orange water tower)
•Improve distribution system automated control resources to reduce outage areas by more quickly isolating failures that do occur.
“Evergy has visibly implemented several of the tasks identified in the spring meeting. Their tree trimming contractor, Wright Tree Service, was very visible and active in Platte City all summer,” Gehrt said.
What is the city hoping to learn from the Dec. 19 meeting?
“The meeting should provide specific information on the actual scope of completed trimming and any plans for continued work. Hopefully there will also be specific information regarding the impact of that work on service reliability.”
In other words, the city would like to hear some specifics about how that work has improved reliability.
“It would be beneficial to all involved if data is provided showing a reduction in wind and tree related service problems,” Gehrt added.
The city administrator said Evergy’s inspection and small infrastructure repair teams have been visible in Platte City in recent months, although the city has no information on the number/type of repairs/equipment replacements that occurred from those inspections.
“The city is aware that Evergy increased the number of automated cut outs, which are essentially large system circuit breakers, in Platte City since the May meeting. The purpose of the automated switches is to quickly isolate parts of the system when a failure does occur to reduce the number of customers impacted by a system problem,” Gehrt remarked.
He went on to explain that while the city is aware of additional automated control devices being installed, the city “does not have any information on the outcomes or customer impacts” of this work by Evergy.
“The upcoming meeting should shed some light on both the actions taken and the system outcomes,” Gehrt commented.
Gehrt said the city not only expects that the upcoming meeting will provide an update from Evergy on progress in implementing the improvement activities Evergy committed to at the spring 2022 meeting, but also expects updated information on the frequency, severity and duration of Platte City service outages since that meeting.
The Landmark reached out to Evergy communications officials for comments in advance of the Dec. 19 meeting. The company declined to comment on the upcoming public session, only answering with information about the Nov. 20 power outage.
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