To always keep the lights on

In a 24/7/365 electric utility operation, reliability is also a top priority and throughout the course of a year, there are many drills and tests completed to help the utility meet that goal. At the Grand River Dam Authority, one such drill – the black start drill – was completed earlier this month. 

A “black start” is the process of restoring an electric generating facility to operation without relying on any external power sources. In other words, if a power plant was totally in the dark and off-line, the black start process is how the utility would restart the generators and get the lights back on, even in the plant itself.

This is especially important for the GRDA hydroelectric facilities and every three years, the Authority is required by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) to complete a test of its black start process. That work involved many personnel from GRDA’s Hydro Department as well as Transmission and Generation System Operators and Relay, Communications and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) technicians. 

Of course, all those participants equaled a major undertaking but also equaled a team effort. According to GRDA Superintendent of Hydro Compliance, Training and Asset Management Tony Back, the drill was a success, due in large part to the cooperation across departments. While all these personnel hope they never have to actually utilize the procedures they tested, this important exercise and the teamwork that results from it can go a long way towards GRDA achieving its reliability goals.

Without power in the plant, it is hard to get power out of the plant. However, with training, testing, drilling and cooperation, GRDA is not only maintaining compliance with important NERC standards, but also preparing its team to always keep the lights on. 

Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency. 

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