By Jon Martin, District 3 Commissioner
As a Grays Harbor PUD Commissioner, my 2 years of experience have taught me a great deal about how the utility operates. However, until recently, I had yet to witness the process of sending power to our homes and businesses. That changed when I had the incredible opportunity to tour the Grays Harbor PUD System Dispatch Center, also known as "the Power House." During my tour with Lead Dispatcher Jeff Willis, I gained insight into the crucial role this building plays in ensuring the lights stay on for PUD customers. As soon as you enter the room, your attention is drawn to the massive wall facing the workstations of the dispatchers. This wall is a mimic board and displays a rough map of the PUD service area, including all the substations and circuits that provide power. Each circuit is represented by a solid light, and contrary to standard color coding, the goal is to keep the lights red to indicate a normal circuit, rather than green, which signifies a malfunctioning circuit. In this case, "red is hot, green is not."
At the front of the room, there are work stations that operate 24/7 with the presence of at least one dispatcher. These dispatchers control the energizing and de-energizing of circuits that power entire communities. They can also reroute power through redundancies in the system while repairs are being made and collaborate with field crews to safely restore power during an outage. Throughout the tour, the emphasis on safety stood out to me, with crews and dispatchers implementing checks, double checks, verbal instructions, tags, and clearances to ensure smooth operations.
Despite the advanced technology that allows for quick power rerouting, the Power House also utilizes paper maps of the PUD system. This allows dispatchers and crew foremen to visually identify the circuits or fuses that need to be opened for safe line work to take place. It's a seamless blend of old and new technologies that work together to keep the lights on. However, it's the professionalism and teamwork of the PUD staff that truly make the system successful.
As always, I am immensely proud of the work carried out by the PUD to fulfill their mission for customers. Witnessing the tools and facilities they utilize to make it happen is always inspiring. While customers may not see the hard work that goes on behind the scenes in the Power House, the moment the lights come on , they know the PUD is there, working to ensure their power needs are met.