ALBANY – National Grid revealed this week that its four substations that shut down during the historic blizzard that paralyzed Western New York in December, causing thousands to lose power, were designed to hold up against the worst of summer weather, but not unprecedented and extreme cold weather conditions.
The information was included in a report this week that is part of a state Public Service Commission review of the utility’s performance during the blizzard. In it, National Grid stated that the substations shutting down was, in a sense, “as designed.”
The blizzard that swept through Buffalo Niagara late last month caused widespread devastation and prompted serious questions about why, in key ways, the municipal response was lacking.
The report, which includes other recommendations for how National Grid might better respond to a winter weather emergency, broadly detailed the utility’s response to the Christmas blizzard in which 47 people died in Erie County, including 12 in homes without power or heat. A broader loss of power for more than 108,000 customers in Western New York resulted both from downed power lines and the four substations.
Although much of the equipment at substations is fully enclosed, some equipment, such as transformers, is only…
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