Annual MSU Power Assurance Test moved to Dec. 17

On December 17th, MSU Campus Services will conduct the annual Power Assurance Test of the Generation Plant to verify its ability to operate during a prolonged area-wide power outage. Prior to the cold start for the Power Assurance Test, an electrical contractor will be performing necessary work to remove a static line at our substation. Power will be disconnected from the Starkville Utilities system at midnight and will remain off for up to five hours until the MSU Power Generation Plant restores it. Over the next two and a half hours, MSU Facilities Management personnel will operate the 26-Megawatt turbine system through various modes to ensure its proper function during an extended outage. While further outages are unlikely during this testing, they may still occur. Normal utility power from Starkville Utilities will be restored before 7:30 a.m.

This outage will not affect areas served by 4-County Power Association or Starkville Utilities connections, such as Technology Park, North Farm, Softball and Tennis, and South Farm.

The primary purpose of the MSU Power Generation Plant is to function as a Peak-Shaving Plant, reducing demand on the Tennessee Valley Authority electrical power grid. During peak-shaving, the plant handles all but 1 MW of MSU’s electrical demand, which is approximately 21 MW during the summer when all cooling systems are in use.

A secondary purpose of the plant is to provide power during significant area-wide outages. This test is part of an ongoing effort by Campus Services to continuously plan and prepare for such failures.

We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your patience and support. 

Please contact the Facilities Management Service Desk at 662-325-2005 if you have any questions.