Entergy: “Perfect storm” may cause outages | News

Representatives for Entergy say the combination of storms, flooding and high heat could cause problems for the utility company over the next several days.

The power company has already asked some industries to cut their electricity usage and has purchased energy from other utility companies. However, that may not be enough to keep everyone out of the dark.

“It’s important that our customers are aware that we could face power shortages until these conditions improve,” Haley Fisackerly, president and chief executive officer of Entergy Mississippi, Inc., said in a written statement.

Several transmission facilities were damaged during April storms in Arkansas. Now, the rising Mississippi River is causing more problems for the company. Entergy has been forced to shut down some power lines because they became too close to the water as the flooding intensified.

“Our number one focus is the safety of the public and our employees, and this is the primary reason Entergy may shut down some facilities and/or lines,” Fisackerly said.

Meanwhile, demand for electricity is rising as more customers turn on their air conditioners to combat the unseasonably hot temperatures across the Mid-South.

“This is occurring at a time when some plants are already offline for routine scheduled maintenance in preparation for summer’s peak demands,” said a spokesman.

In order to help prevent outages, Entergy is asking customers to conserve energy by raising the temperature on their thermostat, closing shades and ensuring air conditioner filters are clean.

Photo courtesy Flickr user Beige Alert.