CEA Provides Input to US Congress Committee Studying Blackout

MONTREAL August 29 -- The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) today submitted a letter to Congressman Tauzin, Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. Chairman Tauzin had invited CEA to respond in writing to a series of questions his committee is asking regarding the August 14, 2003 power outage.

CEA President Hans Konow described the invitation as a “clear indication that the US Congress recognizes that Canadian industry views are essential to ensure a complete assessment of the events and implications of the power outage.”

CEA recommends the enactment of the mandatory reliability standards language in the energy legislation about to go to conference in the U.S. Congress.

This will build on the important work that the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) has performed in maintaining reliability in North America. Konow stated that “NERC represents an extraordinary amount of expertise from companies across Canada and the United States who have for over 30 years worked to ensure standard procedures.”

The letter recommends a series of specific actions which Konow states “equally apply to governments of both countries”:

Improvements to existing interties and regional transmission grids and markets,

Installation of new interties,

On-going monitoring of permitting processes to ensure they are expedited, and

Cooperation on new technology research and development.

Speaking about the letter, Konow emphasized that Canadian industry and governments are active at many levels in response to the outage, and stated that, in respect to governmental cooperation, “US and Canadian governments must build on existing institutional arrangements to help ensure the reliability of our extraordinary international electricity system.”

Founded in 1891, CEA is the national association of the Canadian electricity industry. Its members produce 95 per cent of Canada's electricity, and provide reliable electricity service to Canadians from coast to coast.

Canadian Electricity Association