NEW YORK (Reuters) -
U.S. power companies expect the nor'easter whipping across the
Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday to create additional outages and possibly slow
their efforts to restore service to customers left in the dark by
Hurricane Sandy nine days ago.
Utilities from the
Carolinas to New York reported on their websites that the nor'easter has
already knocked out service to over 3,000 customers by Wednesday
afternoon.
More than 650,000 homes
and businesses were still without power due to Sandy in New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, the U.S. Department of Energy said
in a report on Wednesday.
"The new storm could delay customer restorations. Crews
repairing overhead lines and equipment cannot work in high winds," New
York power company Consolidated Edison Inc said Wednesday.Con Edison said its crews will get more help on Wednesday when 300 mutual aid workers arrive just in time for the nor'easter's arrival, bringing the company's total restoration workforce to over 3,000 utility workers.
The nor'easter will bring rain and heavy winds that could slam trees into power lines, utilities said.
New Jersey power company Public Service Enterprise Group Inc, which has the most customers still without service, said Wednesday it expects to continue to restore power to the remaining 185,000 customers out despite the nor'easter's approach.
While work may continue in the rain, PSEG said federal safety rules prevent line crews from working in bucket trucks when winds are greater than 40 miles per hour.
There have been reports of wind gusts from the nor'easter at over 50 miles per hours, according to weather forecaster AccuWeather.com.
If work has to stop due to the winds, PSEG said, "Crews will resume work when it is safe to do so."
Crews are working 16-hour
days, with mandated rest periods and meal breaks. PSEG said it has
secured an additional 600 line workers from Pennsylvania, bringing the
total to more than 4,600 workers on the ground helping restore power to
our customers.
PSEG also said that despite some reports of shortages of
wires, poles and transformers at some utilities, "There currently is no
shortage of materials."This is an incredible restoration job so we continue to seek materials so we can be covered in case the damage in some areas turns out to be greater than anticipated," PSEG said. It noted the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency "has offered to get materials for us, and we will take advantage of that offer."
A spokesman at Jersey Central Power and Light, the utility with the second most customers still without power, told Reuters it had enough supplies of equipment. JCP&L is a unit of Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp.
Sandy made landfall in New
Jersey on the night of October 29, affecting about 8.48 million
customers in 21 states. Over the past 24 hours, the Department of Energy
said power companies had restored service to about 320,000 customers.
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