Memorandum for the city's leaders

Memorandum

To:The Emergency Manager, the city of Solace

Council Members, the city of Solace

Mayor, the city of Solace

From:Staff Officer, emergency management planning division

August 23, 2013

Re:Prioritizing recipients for electric power provision and restoration

Elco Power, the local electric company, uses oil and natural gas to create steam. Oil or gas is burned in a big boiler inside the power plant to create steam. Steam turbine spins electrical generator. Electrical generators produce oscillating-power. This is also known as alternating-current. The power leaves the generator, enters a transmission substation and goes to the transmission grid. It reaches a power substation. In power substation, the voltage is reduced so it can be sent on smaller power lines. It travels through distribution lines to the houses of customers and the community. Here, smaller pole-top transformers reduce the voltage again, so the power reaches safely to use in homes.

This power plant is fulfilling electricity requirements of the entire community of Solace city. It is producing electric power through its generation plant. It is also getting surplus power generated from a military installation within the community. There is no other major power plant in the community, so the population is completely dependent on this electric utility company. Two primary criteria to measure reliability of service are adequacy and operating reliability. Adequacy means that installed capacity is sufficient for present needs and future forecast loads. Operating reliability means that generating units have enough reserve capacity to face sudden threats and disturbances.

A contingency plan must be set up for emergency preparedness due to heavy dependence on the power company. In the event of power failures, outages, or degradation, the utility should prioritize its power supply. There are three threats that can pose a potential risk to power generation. These can be faults at power stations, unavailability ...