For immediate release:
4:00 P.M. – Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Cause of outages: Unknown
Meters out: Approximately 400
Major restoration efforts are underway to restore winter weather outages. Thank you for your patience. We know how frustrating it is to not have power when you need it.
Our power supplier attempted to re-energize the substation affected by the outage. Their restoration efforts did not hold. Power-supplier crews will be climbing structures until they locate the problem, and additional crews are being called in for support. Ice is suspected to be the cause.
San Isabel Electric lineworkers, in addition to lineworkers from Tri-Se Generation and Transmission Association, have been working since 10 p.m. Tuesday night, and all day Wednesday to find the cause of the outage on the power supplier side and make repairs.
Members currently affected by the outage are asked to prepare for power to be out overnight. Crews will continue work into the night if necessary.
We will not be able to provide an estimated time of restoration until conditions improve and lineworkers have inspected the area to ensure all damage has been identified. Once all damage has been identified, we will be able to determine the work involved to make repairs and have a better idea of when power may be safely restored.
At 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 17, there were approximately 850 meters without power in the Stonewall, Tercio, Monument Lake, Wet Canyon and surrounding areas are out. Members that need shelter or assistance can call Las Animas County Emergency Management at 719-859-0236.
Las Animas County Emergency Management has notified local and state agencies.
Outage status updates will continue to be posted every two hours at siea.com between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Members can report outages using San Isabel Electric’s mobile and online account management app SmartHub.
SmartHub can be used to: San Isabel Electric Association, Inc.
- • Report power outages with a computer, tablet or smart phone.
- • View our outage map.
- • Track an outage’s status until power is restored.
Outages can also be reported by calling 1-800-279-7432. More information about outage reporting and preparedness is available at siea.com/safety.
San Isabel Electric’s outage restoration policy is to make repairs that will restore service to the most people in the least amount of time. Transmission lines and substations are repaired first, followed by distribution lines that feed neighborhoods. Tap lines and individual service lines are then repaired to restore power to customers who may still be without electricity.
In the event of a prolonged outage, members who are expected to be without power overnight will receive an automated phone call , as soon as possible.
A press release will also be issued when power is restored. The release will be posted at siea.com/news and on the co-op’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
If the outage continues for more than 24 hours, an updated news release will be issued each consecutive day at 8 a.m and posted in the same places.
San Isabel Electric is a cooperative utility, owned by a group of member-owners, that together provide electricity in remote, rural areas where larger, investor-owned utilities don’t find it profitable enough to serve.
A large portion of the electric cooperative’s lines and equipment are in remote-rural areas and/or are in rugged-terrain, not accessible by roads or vehicles. These areas are difficult to access during good weather and even more difficult to access during inclement weather. Lineworkers often face arduous weather and road conditions making their job very difficult and dangerous.
From our office staff to those out in the field, we appreciate your patience as we work to restore power as quickly as safely possible for everyone involved.
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As a not-for-profit cooperative utility, San Isabel Electric provides affordable, reliable electricity with exceptional service to communities throughout southern Colorado. Serving nearly 20,000 Member-owners and 24,000 meters, San Isabel Electric has been keeping the lights on since 1938. We don’t just serve communities. We are part of communities.
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