Utilities take Y2K bug seriously

 

Apparently there are a lot more people worried whether electric utilities will survive the Y2K threat than are concerned about whether their home computers will function on Jan. 1, 2000.

 

In response to a column about efforts to test my home computer for Y2K compliance - it failed - several readers suggested I shouldn't worry, because there won't be electricity flowing to power it.

 

"What are you going to do when the power grid goes dead?," one reader succinctly asked, reflecting worry about a failure far greater than one device.

 

Frankly, I hadn't given much thought to being let down by my electricity provider. My contingency plan was, if my computer failed to turn the century in working order, I would just surf the television channels until I got a new computer, or at least until I got the internal clock fixed on my present one.

 

So, being snatched back to the real world, I thought it was time to call Salt River Project, my electricity provider, to see what it is doing to make sure all of its customers don't have to rush out and buy battery backups for their computers as Christmas gifts - or at least will be able to watch television if their computers fail.

 

It turns out that SRP is well into a program to avoid disappointing its customers by opening the new century powerless.

 

"We are going to spend between $15 million and $20 million before we get done," said Ray Jussila, Y2K project manager at SRP. "And we have upward of 50 people throughout the company working on Y2K."

 

It's a laborious process that includes inventorying not just all computers and programs the company uses, but also all the microprocessors scattered throughout the system that have date and time functions.

 

Then, items in the inventory will be tested as necessary. Also, all of SRP's vendors are being contacted to determine if they have tested their hardware and software for Y2K compliance.

 

Jussila said about 95 percent of the inventorying is completed and about 10 percent of the testing.

 

Some Y2K problems have been found, but there are no signs that functionality has been affected.

 

"We certainly are taking this seriously and spending a lot of money on it," Jussila emphasized. "You could say I'm cautiously optimistic."

 

Considering the complexity and extent of the problem, maybe that's the best I can hope for right now.

 

If you want more on what SRP is doing, check www.srp.gov and search for Y2K.

 

By the way, the folks over at Arizona Public Service Co., assure me they are working just as diligently to make certain they will be able to deliver power reliably on Jan. 1, 2000. APS expects to have its Y2K information up on its Web site soon.

 

Both utilities were upgrading much of their equipment, so the hill isn't as tough to climb as it might have been.

 

As for the "power grid" the reader referred to, that is being attended to by the North American Electric Reliability Council. Arizona falls within the purview of the Western Systems Coordinating Council. Certainly, the grid is only as reliable as its parts, as we found out a few years ago when the lights went out over much of the western United States.

 

I think I'll go back to just worrying about my computer. That I can do something about. Of course, it was this attitude that caused at least one reader to chastise me for not taking the Y2K problem seriously enough.

 

There's no doubt the potential for disaster is far-reaching. If you want to see how seriously some people are taking the Y2K threat, check out www.garynorth.com. For the utility industry story, try www.nerc.com.

 

 

Naaman Nickell may be reached at 444-8968 or at nnickell@pni.com via e-mail. His column appears on Sunday and Wednesday.