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NV Energy Explains Sandy Valley Electricity Problems

Sandy Valley from Shenandoah Peak
Wikimedia Commons

Sandy Valley from Shenandoah Peak

Sandy Valley is a community of around 2,000 people, about 50 miles southwest of Las Vegas and right on the California border.

For the past week, some residents have been thrown back in time: their electricity has been intermittent.

NV Energy customers in the area have dealt with interruptions in service just as the weather has gotten even hotter.

So, what's been the problem?

And is it fixed?

Not exactly, but they are working on it, Kevin Geraghty with NV Energy said.

"I certainly won't say we're frustrated," he told State of Nevada. "We're doubling and re-doubling our efforts at every turn. We've brought in drones and helicopters. I have personally walked most of our services to try to understand what's causing the problem."

Geraghty said one of the biggest challenges with finding the problem is its infrequency. The first power outage was reported June 4. Since then, it has re-occurred several times for several hours. 

The only thing they've been able to link the power outage to has been the heat. 

The power did not go out this weekend when temperatures were cooler, but Geraghty expects there may be trouble Wednesday, when temperatures are expected to top 100 degrees again.

"We think when it hits 100 again, we'll see the problem again," he said.

But this time, the company is ready. It has new equipment set up to help pinpoint the problem. 

Despite the loss of power during some of the hottest days of the year so far, Geraghty said the customers in Sandy Valley have been gracious and resilient.

"Customers just really wanted to know what's going on [and] what do we think is going on," he said. "And being able to give them almost real-time updates of what we're looking for, how we're looking for it, why it's taking so long, was very much appreciated."

One of those customers was Donna Yeo. Yeo admits it was very frustrating when the power outages first started because customers couldn't get an answer -- at first.

"It was so frustrating because at the beginning of all this, the only thing that we had was the [customer service number] and all we got there was, 'We're sorry for the inconvenience -- they're working on it,'" she said.

And it wasn't just about air conditioning for customers. Yeo explained most people in Sandy Valley use wells to get water for livestock. She had neighbors with horses that needed water, and another with pregnant ewes  in desperate need of cooling off from the heat.

"It was starting to look like there might be a rebellion out in Sandy Valley, storming Nevada Power right then," she said.

However, they eventually got a message to people who could help; since then, Yeo said NV Energy has "really, really stepped up" to fix the problem.

She said the company has brought out a generator to ensure they won't lose power if equipment fails again, and a water truck to make sure livestock gets the water they need.

Kevin Geraghty, NV Energy;  Donna Yeo, Sandy Valley resident

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Casey Morell is the coordinating producer of Nevada Public Radio's flagship broadcast State of Nevada and one of the station's midday newscast announcers. (He's also been interviewed by Jimmy Fallon, whatever that's worth.)