This power passes through 112,000 substations where it is ''stepped down'' to a voltage that can be used in homes and offices without blowing up toasters or television sets. The task of keeping this vast, interconnected network running is daunting even if the Y2K bug is taken out of the picture, which is the main reason power company officials hasten to add that there will almost certainly be blackouts New Years Day. Outages Likely Nevertheless Tyndall, like many of his colleagues, said one of the utilities' biggest fears now is that people will assume any power outages January 1 are linked to Y2K computer failures. Outages occur normally on any given day and we keep crews on call around the clock to deal with them. But they will not be related to Y2K,'' he said.
New Year is notorious for roughing up the power grid.
We don't want people to panic or jump to conclusions, but to call us. We'll send someone and figure out the problem,'' said Scott Simons, a spokesman at Detroit Edison, a company with about 2.1 million customers. Drunken drivers plowing into power poles and bullets fired at transformers and ceramic insulators by enthusiastic revelers are among the many hazards utility crews face that night. Detroit, like many U.S. cities, has been plagued in recent years by gunfire at midnight. This year, the city launched a campaign to ring in the New Year with bells instead of guns.