skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The Northeast Blackout of 1965

Abstract

Twenty-five years ago, on November 9, 1965, the electric utility industry - and the nation - experienced the biggest power failure in history. While major power outages did happen before and after this unique event, none of them came even close to the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 - not in terms of the size of the area or the number of people affected, not in terms of the trauma inflicted on the society at large, and not in terms of its impact on the electric utility industry. With our institution memory - as a society - being as short as it is, many of the lessons that were learned by the industry, by the regulators, and by the nation at large in the wake of the Northeast Blackout have been, by now, mostly forgotten. The 25th anniversary of this event offers a unique opportunity, therefore, to refresh our institutional memory in this regard and, by doing so, bring to bear our past experience to the problems of today. This article has been written with this objective in mind and from the perspective of an individual who experienced firsthand - as an active electric utility industry participant - the Northeastmore » Blackout itself, its aftermath, and the subsequent evolution of the industry to the present day.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
5244283
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 126:8; Journal ID: ISSN 0033-3808
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION; 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY AND ECONOMY; BLACKOUTS; SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS; ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY; RELIABILITY; INTERCONNECTED POWER SYSTEMS; FAILURES; MAINTENANCE; OPERATION; REGIONAL COOPERATION; COOPERATION; ENERGY SYSTEMS; INDUSTRY; INSTITUTIONAL FACTORS; POWER SYSTEMS; 240100* - Power Systems- (1990-); 296000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Electric Power

Citation Formats

Vassell, G S. The Northeast Blackout of 1965. United States: N. p., 1990. Web.
Vassell, G S. The Northeast Blackout of 1965. United States.
Vassell, G S. 1990. "The Northeast Blackout of 1965". United States.
@article{osti_5244283,
title = {The Northeast Blackout of 1965},
author = {Vassell, G S},
abstractNote = {Twenty-five years ago, on November 9, 1965, the electric utility industry - and the nation - experienced the biggest power failure in history. While major power outages did happen before and after this unique event, none of them came even close to the Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 - not in terms of the size of the area or the number of people affected, not in terms of the trauma inflicted on the society at large, and not in terms of its impact on the electric utility industry. With our institution memory - as a society - being as short as it is, many of the lessons that were learned by the industry, by the regulators, and by the nation at large in the wake of the Northeast Blackout have been, by now, mostly forgotten. The 25th anniversary of this event offers a unique opportunity, therefore, to refresh our institutional memory in this regard and, by doing so, bring to bear our past experience to the problems of today. This article has been written with this objective in mind and from the perspective of an individual who experienced firsthand - as an active electric utility industry participant - the Northeast Blackout itself, its aftermath, and the subsequent evolution of the industry to the present day.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5244283}, journal = {Public Utilities Fortnightly; (United States)},
issn = {0033-3808},
number = ,
volume = 126:8,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 1990},
month = {Thu Oct 11 00:00:00 EDT 1990}
}