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Electric News Releases
April 5, 2000
Virginia Power Repairing System Damaged by Fire at Transmission
Substation
RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia Power engineers this week are repairing
the company's electrical system in Northern Virginia that was damaged by a fire
at a major transmission substation.
The fire April 1 at the Ox Substation near Lorton in Fairfax
County forced the company to shut down the substation and reroute electricity
flow. Repairs are being made to the substation's control house, and at least
one transformer must be replaced. The substation will be returned to service
in phases during the next six weeks. Customer service is not expected to be
affected.
The loss of Ox Substation had increased the flow of electricity
on two 230-kilovolt power lines in the region. The company has connected two
transmission lines that lead into Ox Substation directly to lines that exit
the facility, bypassing the inoperable transformers. This temporary realignment
enables the company to maintain an adequate flow of electricity to customers
while the substation is being repaired.
The substation fire began at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday. A
short circuit occurred inside a two-story-tall transformer that reduces the
voltage of electricity from a 500-kilovolt transmission line so that energy
can flow onto 230-kilovolt power lines. The transformer is cooled by 10,000
gallons of mineral oil. The electrical flash from the short circuit ignited
the non-toxic, non-hazardous oil. Fairfax County firefighters extinguished the
fire by 10:30 p.m.
System operators quickly shut down the substation, limiting
the number of customers who could have lost their power. About 45,000 customers
lost their power, but only for about one hour, as system operators rerouted
the flow of electricity to those affected customers.
Virginia Power is a subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), the
largest fully integrated natural gas and electric power provider in the United
States. The company serves 4 million retail gas and electric customers in Virginia,
North Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. For more information about
Dominion, visit the company's Internet site at www.dom.com.
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