Friday's (4/9) communications drill was one more important step in PP&L, Inc.'s ongoing effort to ensure that people in eastern and central Pennsylvania can usher in the new millenium later this year without concerns of widespread electric service disruptions.
PP&L, Inc., along with utilities from throughout the country, participated in an emergency exercise that simulated a loss of normal communications on the power grid as the result of Year 2000 (Y2K) computer problems. After a review of PP&L, Inc.'s results, the company said that the exercise was a success.
"The successful completion of this drill was one more important component of our effort to test all computers, computer programs and systems that control our power production and electricity delivery system," said Rick Erdman, team leader of PP&L, Inc.'s Year 2000 project.
"We have been working on this challenge for more than three years, and our testing will be complete by July 1. Our testing indicates that the millenium will come to PP&L, Inc. customers without any major disruption of electricity delivery systems," said Erdman. "We have nearly three dozen people working on this project full time and more than 100 people part time."
Erdman said the company is in the final stages of testing on most equipment and programs. Assessments and tests have been conducted on the majority of systems and subsystems that control the company's power plants and transmission and distribution network. "In most cases, we found that there were no Y2K problems that would affect the production and delivery of electricity. Where we did find potential problems, we are making the appropriate changes to ensure that the equipment will operate as designed."
The company's power plants, including Brunner Island, Martins Creek, Montour, Sunbury and the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, have passed several Y2K tests. Those tests that have been conducted so far show there will be no operating problems at those facilities because of the Y2K issue, Erdman said.
Even though the work is progressing as the company expected, Erdman said PP&L, Inc.'s Y2K team will not relax until the new year has arrived without incident. "While we are very confident that we have an effective, comprehensive plan in place, we continue to check and double-check our work," said Erdman.
PP&L, Inc. is working with various government agencies on the Y2K issue. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has conducted an audit of the company's efforts and will observe system testing. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have a representative at the company's Susquehanna nuclear power plant near Berwick early next month to conduct a Year 2000 audit.
The company estimates it will spend $14 million on its Year 2000 efforts.
Certain statements contained in this news release concerning expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Although PP&L Resources and PP&L, Inc. believe that the expectations and assumptions reflected in these statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these expectations and assumptions will prove to have been correct. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in these statements. Any such forward-looking statements should be considered in conjunction with PP&L Resources' and PP&L, Inc.'s documents on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. New factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for PP&L Resources and PP&L, Inc. to predict all of such factors, or the extent to which any such factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and PP&L Resources and PP&L, Inc. undertake no obligation to update the information contained in such statement to reflect subsequent developments or information.