One of my favourite anecdotes about the 2003 blackout is this exchange[1]: Other Operator: “Hey, do you think you could help out the 345 voltage a little?” Ea

One of my favourite anecdotes about the 2003 blackout is this exchange[1]: Other Operator: “Hey, do you think you could help out the 345 voltage a little?” Eastlake 5 Operator: “Buddy, I am — yeah, I’ll push it to my max max. You’re only going to get a little bit.” Other Operator: “That’s okay, that’s all I can ask.” Eastlake Unit 5 tripped on overload shortly after this, removing reactive power capability from the system and further destabilizing it. Human error and lack of situational awareness (Midwest ISO's state estimator, a software program that is supposed to continually evaluate power system conditions and alert operators when they are in or near a region of instability, was offline) played a big role. [1] https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professionalism/Northeast_Blackout_of_2003 https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Professionalism/Northeast_Blac...