Scientific Study of Unidentified Flying Objects (the Condon Report, complete, three volumes)

"These questions more or less are related to the cause, still
not fully understood, of last November's blackout. .. "
The A.PoRoOo BuLletin of November-December 1965 expresses a similar
view of the events of that night.
Finally, in testimony before a sympos ium on UFOs conducted by the
House Comnli ttee on Science and Astronaut ics on :2~ July 1968. Dr. James
E. McDonald referred to the possibility that UFOs might have caused the
power failure.
Let us now examine the FPC report. Volume I states that "the
Commission IS initial report. publ ished Decemr;er 6, 1965. pinpointed the
initiating cause of the interruption as the operation of a backup relay
on one of the five main transmission lines taking power tc Toronto from
Ontario Ilydro's Sir ,'\dam Beck No.2 Hydroelectric Plant on the Niagara
River. This relay, which was set too low for the load which the line
~'as carrying. disconnected the line." Volume iiI gives a detailed
chronology (to the hundredth of a second) of the events following the
initial tripout of Q-29, as follows:
The initial event was the opercJtion of i.l backup relay at
Beck l,enerating Station which openeJ circuit Q29BD, one of
five 23U-kv. circuits connecting the generation of Beck to
the Toronto-Hamilton load area. Prior to the opening of
circuit Q29BU at Beck, these circuits w~re loaded with Beck
generation plus almo;,;t 500 megawatts of power flowing to Bed;
over the two tie lilles from New York State. Of this SUU
megawatts, about 300 megawatts were scheduled for usc in
Ontario and the remaining 200 megawatts were in replacement of
power flowing from the Saunders plant into New York at Massena.
The loading on Q2~BIJ, bas~d on digital computer flows and
(.·xRmination of the Beck Station tie lille and totalldIlg
graphic charts, W35 indicated to be 3bl meguwatts at about
0.93 power factor Bnd a voltage of 248 kv. This pickUp
setting was, therefore, in excess of the indicated average
line loading. The precise cause of the backup relay cncr-
gization is not known. A momentary and relatively small
change in vol tage might have been responsible as th(~ pi dup
167
"These questions morc or less are related to the cause, still
not fully understood, of last November's blackout ... "
The A.P.R.O. BuUetin of November-December 1965 expresses a similar
view of the event;; of that night.
Finally, in testimony before a sympos ium on UFOs conducted by the
House Committee on Science and Astronautics on 2~ July 1968, Dr. James
E. McDonald referred to the possibility that UFUs might have caused the
power fail ure.
Let us now examine the FPC report. Volume I states that "the
Commission's initial report, published I)eceml':er G, 1965, pinpointed the
initiating cause of the interruption as the operation of a backup relay
on one of the five maln transmission lines taking power tc Toronto from
Ontario lJydro's Sir ,'\dam Beck No.2 Hydroelectric Plant on the Niagara
River. This relay, which was set too low for the load which the line
was carrying, disconnected the line." Volume III gives a detailed
chronology (to the hundredth of a second) of the events following the
initial tripout of Q-29, as follow3:
The initial event was the oper~tion of u backup relay at
Beck c.;enel'ating Station which opened c.in:uit Q29lllJ, one of
five 230-kv. circuits connecting the generation of Beck to
the Toronto-Hamil ton load area. Prior to the opening of
circuit Q29BU at Beck, these circuits were loaded with Beck
generatioll plus almo6t 5UO megawatts of power flowing to ~eck
over the two tie lines from New York State. Of this SUU
mt:gawatts, about 300 nI('gawlltts were scheduled for use in
Ontario and the remaining 200 megawatts were in rcplact:ment of
power flowing from the Saunders plant into New York at Massena.
The lauding 01\ !.,l29BIJ, bas~d on digiLal computeT' flows and
l'xaminution of the Beck Station tie lille alld totalldng
graphic chnt·ts, W<I:l i.ndicated to be 3bl lIwguwatts at about
0.93 power factor and a voltage of 24ti kv, This pickup
setting was, therefore, in excess of the indicated average
line loading. The precise cause of the backujJ nlay encr-
gization is not known. A momentary and relatively small
change in voltage might have becil responsible as the pickup
167