Funviralpark Nearly 340,000 Duke Energy customers were without power at noon Eastern time, including more than 140,000 in the Charlotte area, according to the utility’s outage map. Unpowered Carolina’s customer numbers had reached nearly 500,000 at one point Saturday morning.
Parent company Duke Energy said in a news release on Saturday that “extreme cold weather and ensuing demand for power across the country have put power supplies under severe pressure. The outage was “necessary to extend available power generation and maintain operations until additional power is available,” he said.
But for some of Duke Energy’s hundreds of thousands of customers without electricity, the move came at the worst possible time without warning. Carolina homes face frigid temperatures over the weekend when families gather for Christmas Eve and Hanukkah. Saturday’s temperature dropped to single-digit chills in much of North Carolina and South Carolina.
“I can’t believe @DukeEnergy shut off power in the Charlotte area at 7am on Christmas Eve without any warning and is now calling it a planned power outage.” murmured Leslie Mac said the company “couldn’t even send an automated text to the customer to allow them to prepare. It’s the coldest day of the year.”
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper (Democrat) murmured Speaking with Lynn Goode, CEO of Duke Energy, he said, “While providing accurate information to our customers, we are providing assistance on the need to quickly restore power in this extreme cold and have an emergency response. express their sexuality,” he said.
“Thank you to the workers who braved the high winds and cold to turn it on,” the governor wrote.
This morning, I spoke with Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy, to provide assistance with the need to quickly restore power in this extreme cold while also providing accurate information to customers. , expressed urgency. Thanks to the workers who endured the wind and cold and turned it on. -RC
— Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) December 24, 2022
A spokeswoman for Duke Energy did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday morning.
At least 1.5 million people across the country lost power as a horrific storm hit much of the country on Friday. In Louisiana, the state fire chief noted that “several large power outages have occurred in various parts of the state,” urging people to consider alternative power and heating options.
The attention on North Carolina’s power grid came weeks after the shootings at two substations in the central part of the state that left thousands of homes without power and exposed critical infrastructure vulnerabilities. It has become embossed. FBI is investigating.
of National Weather Service A wind chill warning was issued for western Carolina Saturday morning, with officials saying temperatures could feel like minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Tips provided by Duke Energy to customers include: “Choose the most comfortable thermostat setting and turn it down a few degrees if possible”, “Avoid using loud appliances”, and “Shift non-essential activities like washing to the late evening when electricity demand is low”.
Daniel Stephens, Systems Operations Manager at Duke Energy Carolinas, said in a news release:
Customers were outraged by the lack of load shedding warnings.
A customer who “makes sense” murmured.
“I take no responsibility if @DukeEnergy had to do this. It must have been a tough decision to make.” murmured Writer Corey Insco. “But it seems like people should have been warned or informed whether the blackout was intentional or caused by the storm.”
Others noted the timing of the suspension, with one critic renaming the famous Dr. Seuss holiday story “How Duke Energy Stole Christmas.”
And some could not understand why their power was gone during the extreme winter weather.
“Duke Energy has completely wiped out our power,” says author Dennis Mercereau. I have written“It’s 8 degrees.”
