TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — This heat wave has challenged us all. Now Governor Hobbs is challenging electric utilities to describe how they can handle long term heat to help keep us cool.
We’re used to the idea that when storms roll in, wires go down and bucket trucks go up but resilience for extreme weather is more than that. It’s meeting the demands of rough weather that lasts days and days and days.
On the Southwest side, TEP crews and contractors have been working to restore the power that makes living here—-livable.
Nikolaus Garza feels lucky that his power stayed on through Sunday’s storm but he wonders whether the system is really up to the challenge of the sort of sustained heat wave we’ve had.
“We've had the lights flicker to where they'll dim and then come back up throughout the day, sometimes especially that peak time especially when it was there the 110- 113 But yeah, I think that the system does need to be re done and it needs to be they need to have more manpower to to help manage that system.”
Ronald Catlin says he’s impressed with the work repair crews are doing in hot, harsh conditions but he does think about the strain on the systems.
“It happened in Texas, you know, it can happen here where it just draws a system and then starts frying different mechanisms in the system and then they just can't deliver the power and you never know where it's going to be.”
Governor Hobbs challenged utilities across the state to outline how they make sure their systems can carry the load. Joe Barrios of TEP says even without storm repairs the utility may routinely replace about 1200 poles per year and often replaces wood poles with steel.
It has standby arrangements to buy extra power from other utilities.
It also works to help customers in danger of losing power, not from damage but from being unable to pay their bills.
Barrios says, “From June through October 15. We will not disconnect customers. That was part of an ongoing discussion with the Arizona Corporation Commission, and actually some rules that regulated utilities have to follow. So customers shouldn't worry that their electric service will be turned off during the heat of the summer.“
The deferred bills do come due when summer ends but the company can connect a customer with assistance programs.
