Can utility companies weather the heat?

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) - If you think it’s miserable outside, the temperatures inside the kitchen at Goody’s Family Restaurant in Plainfield might change your tune.

Over a sizzling grill, the cook flipping hamburgers said he drinks lots of water with ice to keep cool. But that can only do so much.The owner of the family restaurant constantly cranks the air conditioner.

But with so many businesses and homeowners blasting their AC in the ongoing heat wave, 24-Hour News 8 wanted to know if that would increase the potential for an electricity blackout.

“Electric usage is high. Utility [companies] like us prepare all year for these circumstances,” said Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere.

Throughout the year the company makes sure its power plants and electric grid is maintained.
At the company headquarters in Plainfield, red lights on a map reflect the status of major power lines throughout the state and alerts employees to any problems. Protogere said the system was performing well Tuesday. The lights on that map would flash or turn green if there was an outage.

To the north, though, at least one local power company is warning customers to be ready for power problems.

Bruce Boerner, director of Anderson Light and Power, told 24-Hour News 8’s news partner the Herald Bulletin that the coming week’s high temperatures will tax area transformers as they struggle to beat the heat and handle the added demand for electricity.

Power flickered Sunday for tens of thousands of Madison County homes, the Herald Bulletin reported, and that led to a 30 minute power outage at Hoosier Park casino and race track, said Clint McKenzie, non-gaming operations manager. The casino’s electronic slot machines shut down, he said, but customer’s credits were restored when the power came back on.

Power issues continued Monday, the Herald Bulletin reported.

In Indianapolis, the city beefed up its plans for those who are suffering in the heat, opening a hotline for non-emergency heat-related questions and preparing to extend hours at cooling centers.