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To: bob who wrote (18169)	6/10/1998 8:41:00 PM
From: Kathy Riley	Respond to of 31646

Here is the URL for USA Today and here is one article of numerous, that is specific to utilities. usatoday.com Firms face costly, high-stakes race against time Utilities: Consumers left in the dark? By Chris Woodyard Wed., June 10, 1998 FINAL EDITION Section: MONEY Page 3B How important are computers? Power companies depend on computers to handle functions from monitoring radioactive leaks at nuclear facilities to mailing customers' bills. If a critical computer system went on the blink, zap, no juice. Fixing the Year 2000 bug is not just a matter of reprogramming a few mainframes. The kind of computer chips that could go haywire Jan. 1, 2000, are laced throughout the myriad systems of electrical generating plants, both nuclear and conventional. A nuclear unit alone has 300 software applications, any of which could be at risk, a Nuclear Energy Institute study estimates. ''It's a massive problem,'' says Joanne Thompson, vice president of Renaissance Worldwide, an Atlanta consulting firm working with power companies. Status of fixing the problem: First, the good news: no meltdowns. The safety systems in nuclear power plants aren't driven by computers. Rather, they are usually automatic shut-off valves and other devices that snap shut or power down when they detect an anomoly. Now, the bad news: Many power companies aren't that far along in figuring out what needs to be fixed, much less fixing it. ''It's an issue of magnitude, not of technical complexity,'' says Rick Cowles, Year 2000 consultant for Tava/RW Beck. Duke Energy, which provides power to much of North and South Carolina, has found that not only does it have to worry about the Year 2000 problem, but that some of its computers in conventional plants can't recognize the leap year, either. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimates the nation's 55 utilities operating 105 reactors will spend $3 million to $10 million to upgrade. The Edison Electric Institute, whose members include both conventional and nuclear power generators, says utilities will spend $10 million to $100 million each. ''Anyone who wants a guarantee that nothing's going to happen isn't going to get it,'' says Jon Arnold, the institute's chief technology officer. ''But if there are problems, we are trying to minimize their impact.'' Federal regulators are setting deadlines to pinpoint vulnerable systems, repair problems and have backup plans in place. Nuclear plants must have all their fixes done by July 31, 1999. Some utilities have made significant headway. Florida Power & Light, for example, has nearly finished its assessment and fixed all but 10% of chips believed at risk. Biggest worry: Because electric utilities share the power lines that connect to customers, they are dependent on each other. The utility that does a sloppy job coping with Year 2000 fixes can ruin the best efforts of a diligent power producer. The resulting power-grid problem could lead to blackouts. ''If a rural company drops off, it puts all kinds of disturbances into the grid,'' Cowles says.