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Thursday, Nov. 5

We're watching the forecast and preparing for gusty winds Friday, followed by a stronger weather system Saturday night into Sunday. We expect stormy weather conditions to persist for the next few weeks. Many trees still have vegetation and that could lead to additional outages associated with the weather systems this weekend.

We understand how difficult it is to be without power. Our teams are preparing to respond, we're adding staff for the weekend, and crews will remain in the field to assess damage and restore power as long as it is safe. If your power goes out, we'll work around the clock to restore it as quickly and safely as possible.

As we prepare for storm conditions, we encourage our customers to do the same:

  • Make sure to have emergency supplies at home and in your vehicle, such as extra batteries, flashlights, food and blankets.
  • Have a battery-powered radio ready to go.
  • Charge cell phones and mobile devices in case the power goes out.
  • Download the PSE mobile outage app to track and report outages or visit pse.com/outagemap.
  • Find more preparedness tips at pse.com/storm.    

Visit PSE’s Alerts and Advisories page for more information: pse.com/alerts.


alert 

Safety first:

  • Assume all wires on the ground are energized. Never touch or go within 35 feet of any wire on the ground. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report any wire on the ground.
  • If you’re using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies and other flammable materials.
  • Always use flashlights instead of candles.
  • Be aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning:
    • Never install or use a generator indoors or in enclosed or partially-enclosed areas, even those that are ventilated. When using your generator outdoors during a power outage, avoid placing it near windows, doors and vents. More generator safety tips: pse.com/en/pages/generator-safety.
    • Never use a natural gas range for heating, or charcoal as an indoor heating or cooking source.
    • Additional carbon monoxide safety information: pse.com/en/pages/carbon-monoxide.
  • Never charge your phone or other devices in a running vehicle with the garage door closed.

Mint Farm Generating Station

As an important part of Cowlitz County, our Mint Farm Generating Station in Longview not only creates local commerce and family-wage jobs, but also provides substantial tax revenue for local public services. In addition, we support local charitable organizations.

Mint Farm Generating Station facts

The Mint Farm facility came online in January 2008, and was acquired by PSE in December 2008. The plant employs modern, “combustion-turbine, combined-cycle” technology that allows it to generate electricity using both a natural gas cycle and, from the exhaust heat of its power-generating turbine, a steam cycle. The two-stage process boosts operating efficiency, lowers fuel costs, and cuts air emissions.

Combined-cycle plants like Mint Farm operate much more efficiently than simple-cycle gas-fired plants. The latter typically run only to help meet daily or seasonal peaks in customers’ power usage, while combined-cycle plants often operate to help meet utility customers’ base power requirements. They also complement hydro- and wind-powered generation because gas-fired plants can operate on a firm schedule while power generation from hydro and wind-generating facilities is dependent upon the seasons.

  • The Mint Farm Generating Station is the newest of the eight natural gas-fired power-producing plants we own and operate in Washington.
  • The station can produce 310 megawatts of electricity when running at maximum capacity — enough power to meet the annual needs of 220,000 households.
  • The plant uses a combined-cycle combustion turbine technology, a two-stage process that boosts operating efficiency, lowers fuel costs and reduces air emissions.
  • The facility provides 21 full-time jobs.
Mint Farm Generating Station