Evening star., 1942-08-22
Power Crisis
Spring Seen
By yPepco Head
Halt on EnIoreing
buzzurd Point Plant
Ordered by WPB

OroeTeo Dy WPb
A power crisis by next spring was
seen today by James H. Ferry, gen.
eral manager OF Potomac Electric
Power Co.. which was informed yes
terday by the War Production
Board that 1t must halt work on
future enlargement of the COM
pany's Buzzard Point plant here.
The WPB order suspended or
halted work on total of 86 public
and private power projects. con-
fronting civilians with a probable
widespread curtailment of elec-
tricity.
Mr.. Ferry explained that the
four-turbine Buzzard Point plant
was to be increased to a total of
six 0,O00-kilowatt turbines by the
spring of 1914. Turbine No. S was
ordered some time ago and should
have been In operation this winter.
A sixth turbine had been ordered,
he said, and was expected to be here
by September Of next year.
Hopes to Get Fifth Turbine.
The company is still hopeful Of
getting the fifth turbine, perhaps by
December. in time for operation
next year. The sixth. however, will
have to be cancelled, Mr.. Ferry said.
The WPB order also halts plans for
an additional plant projected in
Alexandria and originally scheduled
to be placed in operation In 1945 or
1916, he said.
Our load Is increasing daily" Mr.,
Ferry said. by next spring I'm
afraid we are going to be short Of
power" In the event Of machinery
failure next year and subsequently,
we are going to be bad of1," he
added.
c. Melvin Sharpe, executive as
sistant Of PEPCO, pointed out that
the Buzzard Point plant is the COM
pany's major generating unit here
and that 1t produces about half of
the city's electricity. THE order is
one Of considerable concern to u.s."
he said. Earlier. Mr.. Sharpe had
said that as far as he knew at that
time the order would not affect the
local plant.
Program Readjusted.
Readjusting its entire wartime ex-
pansion program to reduce the
amount Of power available for wa,
work as well as essential civilian
needs, the WPB announced lasI
night that its action had Sub.
stantially enhanced the probability
of Widespread curtailment" In luxury
uses Of electricity.
The revised program, WPB said
gave the green light only to suficien
power prospects to assure elecritcit,
for war and indirect war production
with "a small margin" allowed TO
possible additions to the presen
munitions schedule.
Can't Maintain Standards.
Demands Of the war program, tn,
board explained, made 1t 'impossibl,
to preserve the standards Of reliabil
ity Of service observed In peac,
times"
Civilian Inconvenience and sacri.
nee" 1t added, must be expected
particularly during periods O.
drought or other adverse weather
conditions, or in the event of seriou!
accidents affecting utility systems.
Accordingly, WPB stepped up pri
ority ratings on power projects re-
garded as urgently necessary ane
acted to bar others from obtaining
critical materials needed for wal
purposes.
In addition, % Government prof.
ects authorized by Congress wer.
reduced to low priority ratings o.
retained in their present low-ratee
or unrated status. Work on thes.
projects will be continued only wher,
materials are unneeded for war uses
New Capacity Provided.
The program provides for tota
Of 5,500,000 kilowatts of new capac.
ity until early 1914, including 3,400,
600 kilowatts for private projects
The IS projects suspended or haltee
represented total Of 100000 kilo
watts scheduled for operation IL
1943 and 1914.
The readjustment permitted con
struction operations on Fedora
projects and hydroelectric develop
ments which did not call for grea
expenditure Of war materials.
In trimming the amount of powe
available for war work and essen
tial civilian needs, the revised powe
program f1tted WPB's previousl,
announced policy Of stopping con
struction Of most new war plant
which could not have been com
pleted within the next IL months. I