About 10,000 Homer Electric Association members lost power Monday after a snow machine clipped one of the utility’s guide wires between Anchor Point and Ninilchik. HEA did not initially know what caused the outage, which impacted more than a third of its almost 26,000 members.
HEA reported the outage around 7 p.m. Monday, and said on social media that crews would immediately be dispatched to the impacted area. Power was restored to all members less than an hour later. The cooperative said the initial report of the clipped guide wire came from Alaska State Troopers and that the outage was isolated to a specific segment of the line.
On Wednesday, HEA spokesperson Mary Bowe said the cooperative reviewed the incident and determined the collision was accidental with minor damage. In general, Bowe said the utility is able to seek damages in situations where infrastructure is harmed. But she says each incident is reviewed on a case-by-case basis. In Monday’s case, the utility won't seek damages, she said.
The cooperative conducted another outage Tuesday morning impacting Anchor Point for about five minutes to finalize repairs. A comparable number of HEA customers experienced a power outage last fall due to strong storms. Another outage last year cut power for thousands after a truck hit one of the company’s utility poles in Soldotna.
As of 4:15 p.m. Tuesday, HEA’s outage map showed all customers had power.
