Wind likely cause of widespread power outage in Clay County

At the peak, some 27,000 Clay Electric customers lost power Tuesday, and the wind may be to blame.

Clay Electric says it appears wind either knocked debris in to equipment or pushed lines too close, leading to an overload that caused a circuit switcher to malfunction. That problem then tripped some FPL breakers- where Clay Electric gets power- and, per procedure, FPL de-energized the line until they could ensure it was safe to keep running.

When FPL de-energized the line, it meant three Clay Electric substations in the dark. Within the hour, FPL and Clay Electric determined the line could boot back up, so the only substation that remains down is the one with the initial overload.

Clay Electric says they are working to re-route customers who use that substation while repairing the problem, but it’s expected to be a gradual process. The outages relating to this issue are concentrated in the Northeast portion of the County.

Clay Electric says, even when the power is re-routed, the wind could continue to cause issues through the day if trees or other debris interfere with lines.