September 27, 2005 Company News

Substation Transformer Out - Service to Customers Restored

At 2:15 a.m. today, an equipment malfunction resulted in a fire inside the Howard Lane substation in North Austin. The Austin Fire Department responded and the fire was quickly contained within the substation.

Approximately 10,000 customers lost power in an area bounded roughly by MoPac, Parmer Lane, IH 35, and Wells Branch Parkway. Power was restored to about half the customers within an hour by switching them to circuits fed from other substations. Power was restored to the other half of the affected customers within two hours in the same manner.

The Howard Lane substation contains two large transformers feeding three circuits each. One transformer was destroyed by the fire. The other was not damaged and is operating.

The destroyed transformer serves about 5,800 customers. Power is being provided to those customers through other circuits. A portable substation will be installed by tomorrow to carry the load of the largest of the three circuits which serves 3,200. Customers on the remaining two circuits will continue to be served by other substations.

Even with the record high temperatures and Austin Energy breaking its all-time peak record usage yesterday, all customers will continue to receive electricity.

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For more information, contact Ed Clark, Public Information.
Phone: (512) 322-6514
Pager: (512) 802-2000