EL PASO, TEXAS (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 As extreme heat drives up electricity use across the borderland, El Paso Electric says the extra demand can put more pressure on equipment and force crews to quickly prioritize outages and safety hazards.<\/p>\n
At the utility\u2019s Distribution Operations Center, operators monitor incoming reports of power problems, determine which calls need the fastest response and dispatch crews across the service area. El Paso Electric prioritizes safety hazards such as downed wires, even if another outage affects more customers.<\/p>\n
Andrew Lozano, a supervisor in distribution operations, said the center helps connect emergency calls to field response. \u201cWe are the bridge. That gap between a phone call to our first responders and our field crews to handle all trouble, emergency and outages,\u201d Lozano said.<\/p>\n
El Paso Electric also relies on smart meters \u2014 digital meters attached to many homes and businesses \u2014 that can automatically alert the operations center when there is an outage. Distribution operator Arturo Perez said those alerts can come quickly. \u201cWe get that signal within the first five minutes, and we are able to dispatch our resources to make sure that they get out there as quickly as possible,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n
Jordan Salas reports on Inside El Paso Electric\u2019s response to power problems (Credit: KFOX14)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
While crews were working inside the operations center, El Paso Electric received a report of a power problem at an El Paso Water facility and sent senior journeyman lineman Edward Garcia to investigate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s something small and we can take care of it, we\u2019ll go ahead and take care of it. If it\u2019s bigger than what we need, we\u2019ll call in reinforcements,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
Garcia found the voltage coming from the power line to the El Paso Water facility was too high, and he called in another crew to check the equipment feeding the area and trace the problem further. \u201cWe can go ahead and get substation headed this way,\u201d Garcia said over the radio.<\/p>\n
The utility has previously linked some outages to extreme heat, raising questions about whether it has enough electricity to meet demand. <\/p>\n
El Paso Electric CEO Kelly Tomblin has said the company had enough power available and that the problem involved aging equipment in the local distribution system.<\/p>\n
Garcia said extreme heat adds pressure to the system, particularly when demand is high. \u201cThe heat impacts us quite a bit because the equipment doesn’t have time to cool,\u201d he said. \u201cAlong with that, consumption goes through the roof. It’s hot outside. People want their air conditioner on whether they’re home or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
As El Paso continues to grow and more homes and businesses connect to the grid, Garcia said the utility has had to grow as well. <\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology grows with the city. Also, the manpower,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I started many years ago, it was only about 800 employees. Now we\u2019re up to about 1,600 employees. So we\u2019re growing with the city. It\u2019s just a process to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n
El Paso Electric said customers can visit its outage center<\/a> for information on outages. Customers can report an outage by calling the utility\u2019s outage line or using its mobile app.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: How El Paso Electric\u2019s seasonal rates compare with other Texas cities<\/a><\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: El Paso council approves fast-track legal response to utility rate, project filings<\/a><\/p>\n