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Released August 30, 2024 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Daniel Graeber for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--A round of thunderstorms in the Great Lakes region left utility companies scrambling to get service restored amid a year of heightened weather volatility, from hurricanes to derechos.
Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), a unit of Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC) (Chicago, Illinois) and the utility responsible for keeping the lights on for 70% of the population in Illinois, said it was working to restore service after thunderstorms on Tuesday were accompanied by 70-mile-per-hour (mph) winds. The utility said the storm damage was "significant," particularly in the suburbs just north of the Chicago metropolitan area. Damage included downed trees and power lines.
As of Wednesday, ComEd said 87% of the 107,000 customers that lost power due to Tuesday's storm had service returned, with the remaining outages expected to be resolved by Thursday.
"We recognize that losing power at any time can be frustrating, and we appreciate our customers' patience as we continue to assess damage throughout the region and restore power," said Dave Perez, the chief operating officer at ComEd.
Michigan utility Consumers Energy (Jackson), for its part, said it called in support from the surrounding states to assist with restoring power after storms rolled through the central lower peninsula.
"We appreciate the dedicated effort of so many lineworkers from Michigan and as far away as Alabama and Arkansas, and the grace our friends and neighbors have shown these last couple of days," said Norm Kapala, a restoration official at Consumers.
This year's weather has been extreme, with record-setting high temperatures and tropical storm activity threatening the nation's energy sector. Hurricane Beryl in July left more than 2 million customers in the Houston metropolitan area without power for several days.
Later, a derecho -- a long-lived, straight-line wind event that spun out of what was left of Beryl -- brought wind gusts of up to 105 mph to parts of Illinois, with some passengers stranded at O'Hare International Airport due to a tornado warning.
Those storms caused a power outage at Exxon Mobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) (Spring, Texas) 250,000 barrel-per-day (BBL/d) refinery in Joliet. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Refining Plant Database can click here for the plant profile. The storm later brought heavy flooding and widespread power outages to the greater Toronto area.
Hot, dry weather, meanwhile, led to an active wildfire season, with the Alberta resort town of Jasper destroyed by summer blazes. Fires in California prompted the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to issue warnings related to the Rancho and White wildfires, cautioning that flames were over major transmission lines.
Data compiled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by The Weather Channel finds there were 1,480 tornado reports as of July 22, about 45% higher than the average pace since 2010.
Oklahoma is in the midst of its busiest year for tornados, with more than 100 confirmed. Offshore and the Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively mild in terms of storm damage, though its peak hurricane season until October.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic lasts from June 1 to November 30. A storm system brewing in the middle Atlantic could strengthen by next week.
Elsewhere, heat warnings are in place from the Appalachians to the Ozarks, where the "feels like" temperature is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a level sure to led to a spike in energy demand for air conditioning. The National Weather Service, meanwhile, is forecasting a marginal risk of severe storms across the Great Lakes and into the Virginias through the weekend.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), a unit of Exelon Corporation (NYSE:EXC) (Chicago, Illinois) and the utility responsible for keeping the lights on for 70% of the population in Illinois, said it was working to restore service after thunderstorms on Tuesday were accompanied by 70-mile-per-hour (mph) winds. The utility said the storm damage was "significant," particularly in the suburbs just north of the Chicago metropolitan area. Damage included downed trees and power lines.
As of Wednesday, ComEd said 87% of the 107,000 customers that lost power due to Tuesday's storm had service returned, with the remaining outages expected to be resolved by Thursday.
"We recognize that losing power at any time can be frustrating, and we appreciate our customers' patience as we continue to assess damage throughout the region and restore power," said Dave Perez, the chief operating officer at ComEd.
Michigan utility Consumers Energy (Jackson), for its part, said it called in support from the surrounding states to assist with restoring power after storms rolled through the central lower peninsula.
"We appreciate the dedicated effort of so many lineworkers from Michigan and as far away as Alabama and Arkansas, and the grace our friends and neighbors have shown these last couple of days," said Norm Kapala, a restoration official at Consumers.
This year's weather has been extreme, with record-setting high temperatures and tropical storm activity threatening the nation's energy sector. Hurricane Beryl in July left more than 2 million customers in the Houston metropolitan area without power for several days.
Later, a derecho -- a long-lived, straight-line wind event that spun out of what was left of Beryl -- brought wind gusts of up to 105 mph to parts of Illinois, with some passengers stranded at O'Hare International Airport due to a tornado warning.
Those storms caused a power outage at Exxon Mobil Corporation's (NYSE:XOM) (Spring, Texas) 250,000 barrel-per-day (BBL/d) refinery in Joliet. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Refining Plant Database can click here for the plant profile. The storm later brought heavy flooding and widespread power outages to the greater Toronto area.
Hot, dry weather, meanwhile, led to an active wildfire season, with the Alberta resort town of Jasper destroyed by summer blazes. Fires in California prompted the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to issue warnings related to the Rancho and White wildfires, cautioning that flames were over major transmission lines.
Data compiled from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration by The Weather Channel finds there were 1,480 tornado reports as of July 22, about 45% higher than the average pace since 2010.
Oklahoma is in the midst of its busiest year for tornados, with more than 100 confirmed. Offshore and the Atlantic hurricane season has been relatively mild in terms of storm damage, though its peak hurricane season until October.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic lasts from June 1 to November 30. A storm system brewing in the middle Atlantic could strengthen by next week.
Elsewhere, heat warnings are in place from the Appalachians to the Ozarks, where the "feels like" temperature is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a level sure to led to a spike in energy demand for air conditioning. The National Weather Service, meanwhile, is forecasting a marginal risk of severe storms across the Great Lakes and into the Virginias through the weekend.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
