Latest news with #PSPS
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Avista enacts temporary change to power line operations for summer
Fire Safety mode increases power line sensitivity ahead of the 2025 wildfire season. SPOKANE, Wash., June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to dry summer conditions and increasing wildfire danger in the region, Avista is applying temporary changes to power line operations in its Washington and Idaho service areas. Avista has implemented this operational change, now called Fire Safety Mode, for over 20 years. A key part of Avista's wildfire strategy is its use of Fire Safety Mode, which adjusts how the system responds to faults during high-risk weather. Unlike normal operations, where lines may attempt to re-energize automatically, Fire Safety Mode keeps lines de-energized until crews confirm it is safe to restore power. While this may extend outage times, it significantly reduces the risk of ignition. 'Wildfire preparedness is not just a seasonal effort—it's a year-round responsibility,' said Heather Rosentrater, CEO of Avista. 'We've invested in infrastructure, technology, and operational practices that help us respond to changing conditions and protect the communities we serve. Our focus on safety is foundational to all we do.' Since launching its Wildfire Resiliency Plan in 2020, Avista has completed numerous grid-hardening projects in high-risk areas. These include replacing wooden transmission poles with steel, installing fire-retardant mesh at pole bases, and upgrading wooden crossarms to fiberglass. In certain areas, Avista will be converting its overhead power lines to underground service to further reduce the risk of wildfire. The company has also expanded vegetation management to reduce the risk of trees contacting power lines. In the most extreme conditions, Avista may implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), a targeted, temporary outage in areas facing severe wildfire risk. PSPS is a last-resort measure, used only when weather conditions such as high winds and low humidity create a heightened threat. Avista crews patrol affected lines before restoring power, and Community Resource Centers may be activated to support customers during extended outages. What customers can do: Make sure your information is up to date with Avista. Avista wants to be able to reach customers about potential outages. Visit to update account information or call customer service at (800) 227-9187. Let Avista know if there are medical devices that rely on electricity. Customer information will be added to a list of customers who receive extra notifications in case of an extended outage. Learn more at Be prepared for outages. Customers should keep emergency supplies together in one place, like flashlights and backup portable chargers. There should be a few days' supply of shelf-stable food and water for all people and pets in your home. Learn more at to create a to-do list in case of an outage. For more information about Avista's wildfire preparedness and PSPS plans, visit About Avista UtilitiesAvista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 422,000 customers and natural gas to 383,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.7 million. Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please visit Avista Corp. and the Avista Corp. logo are trademarks of Avista Corporation. To unsubscribe from Avista's news release distribution, send reply message to Contact:Media: David Vowels, 24/7 Media Access (509) 495-4174Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Black Hills Energy developing emergency shutoff program
(SOUTHERN COLORADO) — Black Hills Energy (BHE) is developing a program to allow the utility to shut off power in high-wildfire risk areas during 'extreme conditions.' According to BHE, the utility is preparing to launch the 'Public Safety Power Shutoff' (PSPS) program by mid-summer 2025. BHE said the PSPS program involves 'selectively and proactively' shutting off power to high-risk fire areas during extreme weather conditions until those conditions improve, with the goal of preventing electric facilities from becoming a source of wildfire ignition. 'At Black Hills Energy, the safety of our customers, employees and communities is our highest priority,' said Campbell Hawkins, vice president of Colorado utilities. 'We believe that a Public Safety Power Shutoff program is a necessary and critical tool for wildfire prevention and mitigation, particularly for utilities with high fire risk areas.' BHE said if a power line is proactively de-energized during a shutoff, it will not be turned back on until conditions improve, and until crews have inspected power lines. This process may result in outages lasting a few hours or a few days. 'Peer utilities are currently implementing and executing similar programs,' Hawkins said. 'To determine if a Public Safety Power Shutoff is necessary, Black Hills Energy will leverage industry criteria that include a combination of wind gust speeds and low relative humidity.' According to Hawkins, BHE does not intend to trigger a shutoff based only on a Red Flag Warning being issued by the National Weather Service; however Red Flag Warnings do trigger other operational responses already in place, which are outlined in the company's Wildfire Mitigation Plan. BHE said it would communicate with customers before any shutoff occurs, and said the shutoff would only be used as a last resort. During and after a PSPS event, BHE said public notifications would occur through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media, media outlets and BHE's website. BHE reminds the community to have a backup plan in place for medicine that needs to be refrigerated or medical equipment that is powered by electricity. This could mean finding a place you can go during an outage or having a backup generator. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Waverley: 50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1
Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £1. He was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own one. However that is exactly what happened back in 1973 and Scotland's beloved Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, is still going strong. She is marking a special milestone of fifty years since the ship ran its first passenger sailings after being taken over as a heritage attraction. The steamer was first launched on the Clyde in 1946, intended for cruises up Loch Loch and Loch Goil - and she became a familiar sight for generations going "doon the watter" for their holidays. Now something of a national treasure, Waverley was triumphantly returned to service in 1975 by a very determined group two years after the very cheap purchase. "I thought it was a wind up at first," said Mr McGowan from the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) on the offer from Caledonian MacBrayne. The company had briefly operated the ship before making the £1 offer to the society. Mr McGowan had to persuade his committee in London that it was a genuine offer and then, he said, "the fun and games started". They did not have a really clear idea of what to do with the ship as the offer had been totally unexpected. But an inspection of the hull showed that it was in decent condition and a public appeal raised £100,000 - a huge sum for the time. Fifty years on, the Waverley's 2025 sailing season is now underway. This year she will visit 74 ports and piers around the UK. "Waverley has witnessed so much change in her lifetime," said Paul Semple, general manager at Waverley Excursions. "The river area and the riverside has transformed, yet Waverley has remained". Like many involved with the ship, Mr Semple sailed on her as a child. He started work with her as a student summer job in the mid 90s and has never really left. He said keeping a heritage steam ship running was not easy. And over the years there have been challenges like repairs, maintenance, new boilers, incidents where she has gone into a pier and Covid. "Money is a challenge," Mr Semple said. "But also the people to work the ship to learn the skills of a paddle steamer to ensure that she's here for many years to come". On the first public sailing of the new season, there is a real air of excitement. One young boy is celebrating his birthday, and others have childhood memories. "As a kid it was magic," said Alistair Quinlan, who was born and brought up in Helensburgh. He remembers family and Sunday school trips on the Waverley. "The fact that the engines are open," he added. "Just the sound of it - it is a living playground for young children". Another passenger, Diane MacKinnon, explains that her husband was born very nearby. "He remembers when the river was full of ships like this and everything was really busy on the Clyde," she said. The enthusiasts who took over the Waverley more than 50 years ago said they could never have imagined it would be still going strong today. "The nice thing about Waverley is that she's not stuffed or mounted in a museum somewhere," said Douglas McGowan of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. "She's alive and well and in very good condition". The enduring allure of The Waverley paddle steamer Moment The Waverley steams under London's Tower Bridge Waverley finally sets sail after two years
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Waverley: 50 years of the paddle steamer bought for £1
Douglas McGowan thought it was a wind-up when he was offered the Waverley paddle steamer for £ was one of a group of young enthusiasts who enjoyed a jaunt out on a paddle steamer in the 70s. But they never thought they would actually own that is exactly what happened back in 1973 and Scotland's beloved Waverley, the world's last seagoing paddle steamer, is still going is marking a special milestone of fifty years since the ship ran its first passenger sailings after being taken over as a heritage steamer was first launched on the Clyde in 1946, intended for cruises up Loch Loch and Loch Goil - and she became a familiar sight for generations going "doon the watter" for their something of a national treasure, Waverley was triumphantly returned to service in 1975 by a very determined group two years after the very cheap purchase. "I thought it was a wind up at first," said Mr McGowan from the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) on the offer from Caledonian MacBrayne. The company had briefly operated the ship before making the £1 offer to the McGowan had to persuade his committee in London that it was a genuine offer and then, he said, "the fun and games started".They did not have a really clear idea of what to do with the ship as the offer had been totally an inspection of the hull showed that it was in decent condition and a public appeal raised £100,000 - a huge sum for the time. Fifty years on, the Waverley's 2025 sailing season is now underway. This year she will visit 74 ports and piers around the UK."Waverley has witnessed so much change in her lifetime," said Paul Semple, general manager at Waverley Excursions."The river area and the riverside has transformed, yet Waverley has remained".Like many involved with the ship, Mr Semple sailed on her as a child. He started work with her as a student summer job in the mid 90s and has never really said keeping a heritage steam ship running was not over the years there have been challenges like repairs, maintenance, new boilers, incidents where she has gone into a pier and Covid."Money is a challenge," Mr Semple said."But also the people to work the ship to learn the skills of a paddle steamer to ensure that she's here for many years to come". On the first public sailing of the new season, there is a real air of excitement. One young boy is celebrating his birthday, and others have childhood memories."As a kid it was magic," said Alistair Quinlan, who was born and brought up in Helensburgh. He remembers family and Sunday school trips on the Waverley."The fact that the engines are open," he added. "Just the sound of it - it is a living playground for young children". Another passenger, Diane MacKinnon, explains that her husband was born very nearby."He remembers when the river was full of ships like this and everything was really busy on the Clyde," she enthusiasts who took over the Waverley more than 50 years ago said they could never have imagined it would be still going strong today."The nice thing about Waverley is that she's not stuffed or mounted in a museum somewhere," said Douglas McGowan of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society."She's alive and well and in very good condition".
Daily Record
18-05-2025
- General
- Daily Record
New doc explores how world's last seagoing paddle steamer was saved by Sunday Mail readers
Since its launch in 1946 the Waverley has remained a firm favourite with day-trippers for its legendry voyages 'doon the watter' from Glasgow's River Clyde around the west coast islands. The incredible story of how Sunday Mail readers helped save the world's last seagoing paddle steamer is revealed in a new documentary. Since its launch in 1946 the Waverley has remained a firm favourite with day-trippers for its legendry voyages 'doon the watter' from Glasgow's River Clyde around the west coast islands. It is listed by National Historic Ships UK as 'a vessel of pre-eminent national importance' and was built to replace a previous Waverley sunk in 1940 while helping to evacuate troops from Dunkirk during WW2. But in the mid-1970s she fell into disrepair and faced being sent to the scrapyard before being bought for £1 by the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society (PSPS) which then joined forces with this newspaper to campaign for her survival. Now the tale of how she was rescued is recounted in a new film Saving Waverley featuring previously unseen interviews and footage. Terry Silvester, former Chairman of the Waverley Organisation and a lifelong supporter of the ship, said: 'The appeal was led by the Scottish Sunday Mail, which ran a great campaign with full colour, centre spread, Ten Days To Save The Waverley. 'This brought people's contributions flooding in and we sailed in '76 and, of course, have sailed ever since.' This month the 78-year-old Waverley celebrates her 50th anniversary of cruising with the PSPS after its Spring sailing schedule kicked off on Friday. Much of the footage in the new film, produced by John Dakin and featuring interviews by Nigel Heath, was recorded on a sailing in 2010, but remained undiscovered on a disc for 15 years. He added: 'It really all began when we realised in 1969 that the Waverley had become the last paddle steamer in the world that went to sea. 'The Waverley at that time was owned by the Caledonian Steam Packet. 'We started a campaign in Scotland with my partner in crime Douglas McGovan to try and persuade them to keep the Waverley as a tourist attraction and this was quite successful for a number of years. 'But in the winter of 1973 Douglas got a phone call asking him to go down to Gourock for a meeting. 'He discovered then that the Waverley, laid up for the winter as usual, had the men withdrawn from work on the ship. so it was obvious they were not going to recommission it for 1974. 'So Douglas said will you come to Scotland for the meeting but I said I'm not coming to Scotland in the middle of the winter to be given the ship's bell as a memento. I said 'you go get the bell'. 'He called me and said I've been to the meeting and they offered to give us the bell, but they also offered to give us the rest of the ship as well. 'This was a bit of a shock because the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society was a very small organisation, it had in monetary terms in those days three and six in the bank and this frightened everyone to death. 'The society really was going to try and turn down the offer with honour. 'But three of us said 'look you can't be the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society if you turn down the last chance you're ever going to get of owning a real seagoing paddle steamer'. 'So we said we have to have a go. 'It really was as simple as that.' Named after Sir Walter Scott's debut novel, PS Waverley was built just after World War II as a replacement for a vessel which was sunk during the Dunkirk evacuation. It was in August 1974 that the ship was officially handed over to Waverley Steam Navigation Co. Ltd, a company formed by the PSPS. Douglas McGovan, former chairman of Waverley Excursions said: 'We were just a couple of enthusiasts. 'But much to our astonishment I got a phone call from their general manager inviting me to his office. 'I thought they were going to say the Waverley is finished. 'Thanks for your support but we're going to send her to the yard. 'But instead he said that we are going to offer your society the Waverley for free, as a gift. 'To make the deal legal I had to hand over that famous Scottish £1 note.' A council grant then allowed the society to run the first cruise. And in May 1975 she set sail for the first time under the new deal, departing Glasgow with a send off from the Glasgow Police Pipe Band. But it took the enthusiastic support of Sunday Mail readers to enable them to carry on financially the following year. And to build a programme that was later to extend to visit ports around the UK. Since then Waverley has earned thousands of fans from all around the country, recapturing the Golden Age of Steamers, and was named the National Flagship of the Year 2024 by National Historic Ships UK. In 2003 a heritage restoration programme was carried out at a cost of £7 million and in 2019 there was also a Boiler Refit. Appeal raised £2.3million with donations from over 8500 individuals, the PSPS, the Scottish Government and several trusts and foundations. The new film is available now on DVD for £16.50. All profits from the DVD will be going to volunteer-run charities.
