Electric customers east of Emporia now have their power restored after a planned outage Friday and an unplanned outage Saturday.
After the successful rebuild of a 50-year-old transmission line Friday for areas including Hartford, Neosho Rapids, Waverly and BETO Junction, an equipment malfunction knocked the power out for the same customers before sunrise Saturday. Here’s spokesperson Kaley Bohlen:
The outage developed just before 6 am and lasted until almost 10 am. Bohlen says the weather was of no help to crews.
In total, the outages lasted about 6.5 hours and affected close to 1,300 Westar customers. Close to 500 Lyon-Coffey customers in and around Hartford, Neosho Rapids, Melvern, Waverly and BETO Junction were also impacted.
9:45 am Saturday: Guy wire failure triggers outage east of Emporia
Westar Energy says it has found the source of a power outage that developed east of Emporia before sunrise Saturday.
Westar says a guy wire failed and worked its way into a rebuilt transmission line. The wire then caught fire, causing the transmission line to go offline.
Crews are repairing the damage and estimate power will be restored by 10:30 am.
The 50-year-old line was rebuilt Friday as part of a planned outage affecting almost 1,300 Westar customers in and around Hartford, Neosho Rapids, Olivet, Waverly and BETO Junction. Both outages have also affected nearby rural electric cooperatives, including Lyon-Coffey.
Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates.
8:30 am Saturday: Situation assessment underway, repairs coming after unplanned outage east of Emporia
Westar Energy crew members are assessing the situation after an unplanned outage developed early Saturday in the same area affected by a planned outage Friday.
Close to 1,300 Westar customers in and around Hartford, Neosho Rapids, Olivet, Waverly and BETO Junction lost power shortly before 6 am. Westar has confirmed issues have developed on the same line that crews spent close to three hours Friday rebuilding.
The 50-year-old transmission line affects both Westar customers and rural electric cooperative customers in the area.
Repairs are currently pending but should start soon. There is currently no estimated timetable for restoring power.
Stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates.
6:30 am Saturday: Unplanned outage now impacts areas affected by Friday’s planned outage
The same areas of Lyon, Coffey and Osage counties impacted by a planned power outage Friday are now in an apparently unplanned outage Saturday morning.
Close to 1,300 Westar customers in and around Hartford. Neosho Rapids, Olivet, Waverly and BETO Junction lost power shortly before 6 am. There is currently no word from Westar on what has caused this outage, but Lyon-Coffey says issues have developed on the same line that crews spent close to three hours Friday rebuilding.
The 50-year-old transmission line affects both Westar customers and rural electric cooperative customers in the area. Further details are pending.
