Power Coalition Forms on Anniversary of Blackout

By Consulting Specifying Engineer Staff December 30, 2004

A number of entities with an interest in critical power have formed a new national organization—the Critical Power Coalition (CPC).

Representatives of the critical power industry have announced the formation of the Critical Power Coalition (CPC), a national organization whose mission is to develop common public policy and establish a unified industry voice to ensure the quality, reliability and continuity of electrical power within critical industries, businesses and public services.

CPC is intended to bring together industry leaders to focus on urgent policy, technology and regulatory issues. Founding members include American Power Conversion, Caterpillar, Cummins, Digital Power Group, Eaton Corporation and its Powerware Division, Emcor, EnerSys, EYP Mission Critical Facilities, Liebert/Emerson, MGE UPS Systems, Siemens, SquareD and Tishman Technologies.

“Nearly every significant facet of the nation’s banking, communications, safety and vital infrastructures relies on electric power to operate,” says Co-chairman Mark A. Ascolese. “Meanwhile, increasing power demand is compromising the power grid’s ability to supply clean, uninterrupted power.”

Formal announcement of the CPC coincided with the first anniversary of the Aug. 14, 2003, Northeast blackout, and release of the 9/11 Commission Report. With respect to electric power, the CPC agrees with the 9/11 Commission.

CPC preliminary initiatives include:

Building a new and unique presence in Washington D.C. to support activities now underway in regulatory, financial and legislative arenas.

Raising awareness for the importance of critical power at the point-of-use, on the customer side of the meter, from traditional markets (data and telecom) to non-traditional markets (water and E-911).

Promoting best-practice sharing in critical power management.

Differentiating the needs of the critical power industry from those of the

grid power industry.

For more information, visit www.criticalpowercoalition.org