US power grid costs rise, but service slips
Source: AP-Excite
By JONATHAN FAHEY
NEW YORK (AP) - America's power grid is like an old car.
It gets the job done, even if its performance is slipping. But the repair bills go up every year and experts say only a major overhaul will reverse its decline.
An Associated Press analysis of utility spending and reliability nationwide found that electric customers are spending 43 percent more than they did in 2002 to build and maintain local electric infrastructure. Since then, power outages have remained infrequent; but when the lights do go out, it now takes longer to get them back on.
Neither the spending nor the reliability trends are dramatic on their own. But experts say the combination is revealing: it suggests that the extra money from electric customers isn't being spent wisely - or that utilities aren't investing nearly enough to upgrade fragile equipment that is increasingly threatened by major storms.
FULL story at link.
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20130305/DA4R4A180.html
Chart shows the annual cost of distribution and the average length of outages per year
sakabatou
(42,157 posts)kentauros
(29,414 posts)Now they just wait for things to break before it gets repaired or replaced.
valerief
(53,235 posts)What do they care? No consequences. Beats paying union wage. They're bullshit they can't offshore it.
bluedigger
(17,086 posts)http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20130305/NEWS01/130309927/Empire-Electric-files-complaint-against-Tri-State
Lordquinton
(7,886 posts)then institute a plan that will make lower power consumption more costly.
These corps belong in jail, they manufactured a power crisis here in California and used it to install a governor in a sham election, fortunately they didn't get the one they wanted...
Nationalise the power, and fight back against the bids for water, only way to keep this place going.