VANCOUVER, Wash. (KOIN) — Despite days of triple-digit heat expected in the region, Clark County public utilities officials are not worried about power outages.
Washington has a healthy supply of renewable energy from dams and other resources. Clark County PUD said they’ve invested a lot of time and money into making sure energy lines are healthy and infrastructure is up to date.
“Our system is good and healthy and stable, but events like this put a huge strain on even the best network and ours is going to be no exception,” said Clark County PUD spokesperson Dameon Pesanti.
On the same note, the Pacific Northwest energy grid is in better shape. Officials said exteme heat above 100 degrees for several days in a row will inevitabley put a strain on the system, especially now that more people have installed air conditioning at their homes.
“Our dispatch office is paying very close attention to the grid and watching for any outages and any type of equipment failures,” he said. “And when those things happen, we want to get on it right away. We’re always vigilant, but at times like this we are exceptionally vigilant of what’s going on in our service area.”
Pesanti said they are not concerned about the kind of power outages that hit Texas during the winter.
“Our energy portfolio is very diverse, it’s distributed. So, we’re not concerned about like what happened in Texas, where suddenly the plants are just going to shut off.”
Clark County PUD suggests keeping your thermostat at 76 degrees or higher and leaving it alone for the day. Use the “fan” mode on central air conditioning to circulate the air. Close drapes or blinds to keep the sun out. If it’s hotter inside than out, open your windows to let the hot air escape.
And a cold shower goes a long way.
There are cooling centers throughout Clark County, including libraries.