
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, February 11, 1991                   TAG: 9102110348
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: EVENING 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Short

POWER OUTAGE LEAVES ASSEMBLY IN THE DARK

Many state offices and the Virginia General Assembly were left in the dark this morning when a power outage struck much of downtown Richmond.

Carl F. Baab, spokesman for Virginia Power Co., said nearly 1,800 customers were affected by the blackout at 8:50 a.m. He said utility crews restored power by 9:45 a.m.

"It was a problem at our 12th street substation in Richmond," he said. "We're still assessing the cause."

The outage affected 300 major customers served by underground circuits in an area extending from Fifth Street to 14th Street, and from Marshall Street to Cary Street, Baab said.

That area included part of the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals and the General Assembly Building, where legislators were trying to conduct business.

Committee meetings went on as scheduled in darkened rooms, but curtains were opened to let in as much light as possible. A few jokes circulated at the Capitol about Virginia running out of money and being unable to pay its electric bill, and legislators operating in the dark.

Baab said other Virginia Power customers connected by overhead lines to the affected substation also lost power, even though they were outside the downtown area.

by CNB