Winter Storm Shuts Down Savannah River Site, Challenges Utilities

The Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina sent workers home Tuesday on account of a rare winter storm that also had utilities across the Southeast preparing for power outages. A notice from SRS indicated non-essential personnel began leaving the site at noon. The complex was scheduled to be closed completely to non-essential personnel today, with a delayed work schedule expected Thursday. The National Weather Service forecast that the storm's mix of ice, sleet and snow would be concentrated in the Carolinas, Georgia and the eastern portion of the Florida panhandle this morning, with snowfall expected across a broad swath of the Southeast until tonight. Anticipating outages, Duke Energy announced Tuesday that it would shift an additional 300 personnel to the coast of the Carolinas. Entergy also repositioned resources. On Tuesday, that utility reported it had dispatched 50 linemen from Arkansas to join more than 2,600 restoration workers preparing for snow and ice accumulation in southeast Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Midwest and East Coast grid operator PJM Interconnection on Monday asked utility customers to conserve power because of increased demand brought on by cold weather. On Tuesday, PSEG expected to approach its record winter electricity demand of 7,195 megawatts set in 2007.