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November Wind Storm

Damage assessment and restoration efforts continue

Crews and hundreds of support staff continue their around-the-clock work to restore power to those who remain out as a result of yesterday’s damaging windstorm.

As of 6 p.m., we have 354,733 customers out of power. Power has been restored to more than 170,000 customers since the start of the storm. However, due to extensive wind and equipment damage, power for some customers may be out for an extended period. We are updating our outage map with the best information available and will continue to provide updates as restoration progresses. Our focus for tonight continues to be on transmission lines to critical infrastructure and public safety.

Crews continue to survey damage on the ground and helicopter patrols will resume tomorrow morning. Our first step in restoring power is damage assessment: getting a look at what’s been done to the system and determining the extent of repairs that are needed. We will provide restoration updates as information becomes available.

Crews from other utilities from Washington State, British Columbia, Idaho and Oregon have all shown up to assist in the repair of our electric system. Support from these outside agencies ensures that PSE restores power to our communities as soon as possible.

 

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alert 

Safety first. Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.

Report and track power outages online

Grid Modernization

Transforming our grid for a better energy future

What is Grid Modernization?

For PSE, it means taking a holistic approach to updating and improving our infrastructure to create a grid that's reliable, resilient, smart and flexible. Above all, it also needs to be safe and designed to meet our customers' unique energy needs and expectations.

The process for creating a modernized grid means investing in new equipment, installing new software and communication platforms, testing and deploying new technology, and empowering customers with tools to make their own energy choices. Some of our grid modernization programs, like Distribution Automation and Demand Response, utilize smart technology, while others provide structural improvements and support the overall health of our delivery system.

TOGETHER, we're creating a better energy future.

To be our customers’ clean energy partner of choice, PSE needs a grid that is:

SAFE: Safety for the public, our workforce, and environment continues to be PSE’s top priority.

RELIABLE: To decrease the amount and impact of power outages. This involves identifying asset health, proactively anticipating and mitigating failures/outages, and performing targeted maintenance.

RESILENT: So our region recovers more quickly from extreme weather events and other emergencies. This involves hardening the system to minimize damage and adding adaptive elements allowing for quick and localized recovery from disruptions.

SMART & FLEXIBLE: Adding intelligence to the electric system allows for more automation and technology to save energy and improve customer experience. This also increases the electric system and business flexibility which empowers customers to control their energy choices based on cost, carbon, or other preferences and enables advanced operational options.

CLEAN: Enabling the rapid and equitable integration of distributed energy resources and other green technologies.

grid modernization triangle


Grid modernization timeline

Click image to see an expanded view of our vision

Battery storage

Battery Storage

Batteries offer exciting solutions for a variety of energy challenges. See how we’re testing and installing them.

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Conservation Voltage Reduction

Conservation Voltage Reduction

CVR optimizes voltage so we can operate more efficiently and better respond to periods of high demand.

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Demand Response

Demand Response

DR gives PSE and customers flexible ways to decrease demand on the grid during times of peak use.

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Self Healing

Distribution Automation

DA helps us detect and address outages more quickly, decreasing the overall time customers are without power.

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Hosting Capacity Heat Map

Hosting Capacity Analysis

The HCA tool helps PSE and customers decide where to place energy resources on the distribution system.

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Other initiatives

More Grid Modernization Initiatives

From Smart Street Lighting and Electric Vehicles to our exciting Living Lab projects.

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