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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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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

PSE signs deal with local forest products company to create clean electricity

BELLEVUE, Wash. (3/3/2020) Puget Sound Energy teams up with Sierra Pacific Industries to purchase 17 megawatts of renewable energy from their Mt. Vernon Mill

Puget Sound Energy continues its commitment to the environment and deep decarbonization by investing in biomass energy.

PSE will work with Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) to use 17 MW of energy produced from the company’s cogeneration plant at its lumber mill, providing locally-generated, renewable biomass energy to its customers.

“This is another step in our journey to acquire clean sources of energy for our customers,” said David Mills, Senior Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at PSE “We will continue to work with renewable energy projects to fill our capacity needs.

SPI’s cogeneration facility uses wood byproducts from its lumber manufacturing process to generate steam that is used to make electricity and to heat kilns to dry lumber. There is an air pollution controlling device that filters out fine particles and other emissions from the burning wood so that what is released into the atmosphere comes out clean.

”Our crew is proud to be using locally grown, harvested and manufactured wood products to power homes in our own neighborhoods,” said Brad Gould, Division Manager at the SPI Mt. Vernon facility. ”This is a partnership that provides both environmental and economic solutions for our community.”

PSE signed a 17-year contract with SPI that starts in 2021 to purchase the excess energy generated after wood waste is burned at SPI’s Burlington Mill. The mill provides jobs to more than 200 employees contributing to the $900 million annual economic impact of the forest products industry in Skagit county.

“Not only are we supporting a local renewable energy project that is located right here in our service area, but we’re also proud to be supporting local jobs in Skagit County,” added Mills.

PSE’s mission is deep decarbonization, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and transforming its business to deliver on the objectives of Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act. PSE will be coal free by 2025 and its electric system will be carbon neutral by 2030.To meet the anticipated energy needs of the region in the coming years, PSE will continue to acquire new sources of energy.

Link to video of the facility

 

Clean Energy Forest 1

 

Clean Energy Forest 2

Media Contact:

Andrew Padula, 1-888-831-7250, psenewsroom@pse.com


Puget Sound Energy is proud to serve our neighbors and communities in 10 Washington counties.
We're the state’s largest utility, supporting more than 1.1 million electric customers and nearly 900,000 natural gas customers.
For more about us and what we do, visit pse.com. Also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.