Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Entergy Says It's Y2K Ready

Entergy is ready for the year 2000, according to Paul Brewster at the Magnolia office.

"With year 2000 just weeks away, some may be wondering if they should be worried about the Y2K computer problem," Brewster says in a news release. "Personally, I'm not swearing it. Professionally, I can speak only for the power company, and I can tell you this with confidence: Entergy is ready for the year 2000."

Entergy is not only ready now, but its critical computer components and systems have been ready since June 30, according to a news release. That's after nearly four years of system-by- system checks, tests and modification or replacements where necessary.

"While we're confident the electricity system will have no trouble with the Y2K bug, we have taken the added precaution of developing and rehearsing contingency plans for dozens of trouble scenarios," Brewster says.

"While most people are celebrating the incoming new year December 31, hundreds of extra Entergy employees will be on the job that night, standing by at strategic locations around the system, making sure the power system sails through the date transition as expected."

Thomas R. Kuhn, president of the Edison Electric Institute, has this to say on behalf of the electricity industry in general: "Will there be power outages? The fact is that there will be localized power outages scattered across the U.S., just as there are nearly every other day. No doubt somewhere on December 31 utility poles will be felled by errant cars on slick roads; snow and ice storms will conspire in other locales to temporarily interrupt power. Weather is the biggest variable affecting electricity in January.

"But as a nation, we expect January 1 to be like any other day," Kuhn continues. "We cannot guarantee that no one will lose electricity; ours, after all, is one of a handful of industries whose products must be constantly available, on demand. But we can state with certainty that the nation's electric utilities are well prepared for the millennium date transition." Keeping the lights on is what we do at Entergy, and December 31 should be no exception."

"Yes," the Entergy spokesman for this area says, "personally and professionally, I am looking forward to the year 2000. I believe there are many, many good things in store for the Nevada County area in the coming millennium, which I'm eager to ring in under the illumination of electric lights burning brightly well after midnight New Year's Eve."