Electricity usage up overall but peak is down--Mississippi Power’s generating plants set new record

Mississippi Power Company’s fleet of five generating plants collectively set a new all-time record for Equivalent Forced Outage Rate (EFOR) during this year’s peak generating system.

EFOR represents the time a generating unit is down for a forced outage as opposed to scheduled outages for maintenance. EFOR is the company’s measure of a plant’s reliability during peak season.

In the summer peak season of 2002, which runs from June through September, Mississippi Power’s generating plants had a .93 percent EFOR compared with 1.41 percent in 2001, which itself was an all-time record.

“You can’t achieve record numbers two years in a row without qualified and dedicated employees,” said company spokesman Kurt Brautigam. “Surpassing a record by such a large margin shows extraordinary teamwork and effort in keeping units running when they are most needed.”

Mississippi Power’s success also contributed to Southern Company setting a new all-time system EFOR record of 1.96 percent, almost a full percentage point lower than the year’s goal and .01 percent better than the previous year’s rate.

“These numbers are particularly gratifying in light of the fact that we generated more electricity this summer than last under tighter budgets and lowered capital expenditures,” Brautigam said.

Even though overall usage was up this year, the summer peak remained below the level set two years ago. Customers across Mississippi Power’s system used a high of 2,492,000 kilowatts during the 3 pm hour July 19. The record one-time usage level remains at 2,593,000 kilowatts, set August 29, 2000. Mississippi Power set peak records for four straight years until the summer of 2001.

“It’s been hot the past two summers, no doubt, but we’ve seen generally milder weather patterns overall than in 2000,” Brautigam noted. “We’ve also been fortunate to receive significantly more rain this summer and last, which helps moderate the long hot spells that tend to drive up peak usage.”

Mississippi Power’s plants set safety records

Last August 13, the employees at Plant Daniel in Jackson County achieved 730 consecutive days (two years) without an OSHA recordable accident. That record is still accruing and now stands at nearly 800 days. No other generating plant in the Southern Company fleet has ever reached such a record.

In September, Plant Watson in Gulfport reached a milestone of One Million Safe Work Hours (about two and one-half years) without a lost time accident.

Mississippi Power’s two largest generating plants—both of which have about 200 employees—aren’t the only ones with excellent safety records, however. In August, Plant Sweatt near Meridian surpassed 13 years without a recordable accident and, in October, the Chevron Cogenerating Plant marked 25 years without a lost time accident. Plant Eaton, located in Petal, had its last lost time accident in 1983.

“There is no secret to working safely,” said Kurt Brautigam, company spokesman. “It comes from attention to detail and making safety a priority at all levels. All of our employees take ownership in their safety programs. They’re expected to talk safety and do safety whenever they’re on the job.”

Isidore and Lili surprisingly easy to weather

This fall turned out to be an active season of storms for Mississippi Power Company as Tropical Storm Isidore and Hurricane Lili breezed through the area. Isidore was characterized more by high tides and heavy rain than significant wind damage. The most dramatic effect of Isidore was water levels that completely closed Highway 90 along the Gulf Coast and flooding for thousands of low-lying homes.

Mississippi Power had scattered outages company-wide during Isidore, but no more than 4,000 customers were out of power at any one time.

“We were fortunate,” said Kurt Brautigam, MPC spokesman. “We had our plan in place and were prepared for much worse. Overall, we had more than 20,000 customers experience outages, mostly along the Coast, but few were for very long. By the end of the day, everyone had been restored to service.”

Hurricane Lili seemed to present a much greater threat, as it was expected to make landfall in Louisiana as a category 4 storm. Fortunately for everyone in its path, the storm dropped to a category 2 before coming ashore along the central Louisiana coastline. The effects of the storm in Mississippi were minimal, but that did not mean that Mississippi Power’s crews could take it easy.

Following the storm, Mississippi Power sent 68 employees who spent about a week helping restore power in the hardest-hit areas of central Louisiana. The local utility, CLECO, reported as many as 165,000 of its 250,000 customers without service after Lili moved through.

“More than 10,000 outside workers moved into Louisiana after the storm passed,” Brautigam said. “We know how much help is needed to repair damage like that and have had similar help in the past. Our crews reported that in addition to the hard work they expected, the area had some of the largest copperheads they had ever seen.”

Mississippi Power helps military facilities meet energy needs

A General Services Administration Areawide Agreement established several years ago between the U.S. Government and Southern Company allows Mississippi Power to help the military installations and other federal entities in its service area with energy service projects.

Company employees most recently worked with the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, which had constructed a total electric subdivision in 1997. When the units were occupied, residents said they were uncomfortable in hot weather even though they had air conditioning. The solution was a project to change out the geothermal heat pumps originally installed for air source heat pumps, which better suited the structures and effectively ended the complaints.

Since the inception of the agreement, a number of other projects have been completed. The company performed a base-wide energy conservation project for Naval Station Pascagoula; retrofitted the lighting at Keesler Air Force Base Hospital; replaced old equipment with energy efficient heating, cooling and water heating equipment at a Keesler dining hall; converted the CRTC Air National Guard facility in Gulfport to underground utilities; and helped design and build standby generators at the Veterans Administration’s Biloxi and Gulfport facilities.

“Such projects result in a win-win situation” said Kurt Brautigam, company spokesman. “The agencies reduce their energy and maintenance costs, while we create satisfied customers by solving problems and hopefully open the door for future opportunities.”

The following active military and National Guard facilities in Mississippi Power’s service area collectively have 29,840 military and civilian employees and a combined annual payroll of nearly $1.1 billion: 186 ARW Air National Guard - Meridian

Camp Shelby Army National Guard – Hattiesburg

CRTC Air National Guard – Gulfport

Keesler Air Force Base – Biloxi

Naval Air Station – Meridian

Naval Construction Battalion Center – Gulfport

Naval Station – Pascagoula

Stennis Space Center – Hancock County

Winter tips for wise energy use

Even when winter temperatures are moderate, as they generally are in South Mississippi, it still makes sense to save energy when heating your home. Home improvement stores feature an ever-expanding range of energy-saving products and consumers are looking for even more information.

There are lots of common sense ways people can save on their home energy bills without sacrificing comfort, convenience or money. Many energy-saving practices are inexpensive and easy to do.

Among the least expensive things to do are replacing filters in heating and air conditioning units about once a month and blocking drafts under exterior doors with door sweeps or fabric draft blockers. Improving insulation in walls in ceilings can be fairly expensive, but there will be a real payback in less energy being used to heat or cool a home.

There are other inexpensive steps most homeowners can take themselves.

•Repair cracks, holes or separations in ductwork with duct tape.

•Weather-strip or caulk around doors and windows.

•Keep furniture, drapes or other obstacles away from radiators and heating vents.

•Close curtains at night or on windy days.

•Use the reverse setting on ceiling fans to distribute head down into a room.

•Set the thermostat between 65 and 70 degrees and wear warm clothing.

•Set the thermostat at about 58 degrees if you will be away for an extended period.

•Set the hot water hater at 140 degrees and wrap it in an insulation blanket if it is in an unheated space.

•Close off heat in unused rooms and close the doors.

•Keep cold wind outside by closing garage doors.