STORY:
Electricity Supplies are Y2K Ready

Industry tells government 99% of mission critical systems are ready for 2000

Representatives of the U.S. electric utility industry have told federal officials that 99-percent of all mission critical systems supplying power to the U.S. are rid of the computer Y2K bug. Despite the announcement, Energy Secretary Bill Richardson responded in cautious terms and promised spot checks of power plants in the coming months.

"If New Year's Day 2000 were tomorrow, we believe the lights would remain on in North America," Michael R. Gent, the president of the North American Electric Reliability Council, reportedly told a news conference.

The council reported that nation's nuclear power plants "are in good shape" and the electricity distribution systems of both private and publicly owned utilities are 96.3 percent Y2K compliant. Another 3.2 percent of the distribution systems have reported they will be ready by the end of the year, and one-half of 1 percent have not been heard from.

In response, Richardson said he wouldn't declare total victory and "customers deserve the answer to a simple question whether their utility's critical systems are ready for the year 2000". With this in mind, Richardson said his department will spot-check audits on utilities to make sure the information they are reporting to the government is correct.

The White House's Y2K czar John Koskinen also express caution at a news conference and said he will be monitoring Y2K related tests utilities plan to perform later in the year. Koskinen is concerned that power companies, in their attempt to not disrupt customer service, are delaying the tests which could prove some systems are not Y2K complaint.

Power companies in mid-America, Maryland and California have already announced they Y2K results.

DATE: 08/04/99

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