An electrical relay device provided by Rogers Park's S&C Electric Co. was found to be the cause of the Super Bowl power outage in New Orleans, the company acknowledged Friday.
S&C Electric Co. said the outage, which lasted for more than 30 minutes at Sunday's game, was due to the demand for Superdome stadium power needs exceeding a "trip setting" for an electrical relay it supplied.
The device was specifically designed to prevent an outage if a cable connection to the stadium failed. Testing since the game has revealed that a higher power setting would have prevented the equipment from causing the disconnection, S&C said in a statement.
S&C doesn’t control the power settings on the equipment it provides.
"S&C continues to work with all those involved to get the system back online, and our customers can continue to rely on the quality and performance of our products," Spokesman Michael Edmonds said in a statement.
S&C equipment is commonly used where high reliability is critical, he said, including data centers for United Parcel Service Inc., drug manufacturing centers and hospitals. The company also works with other stadiums throughout the U.S. and Canada.
The power provider for Sunday's game, Entergy New Orleans, a unit of Entergy Corp., said the relay device had functioned properly at other high-profile sporting events, including the Sugar Bowl.
The device has since been removed and replacement equipment is being examined, Entergy said in a statement.
That statement came before a special meeting of the New Orleans City Council's Utility Committee Friday morning to discuss the root cause of the outage.
Immediately after the game, Entergy indicated its equipment was functional and the problem must have come from the Superdome, but later said it was launching an investigation to determine the source of the problem.
"While some further analysis remains, we believe we have identified and remedied the cause of the power outage and regret the interruption that occurred during what was a showcase event for the city and state," Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Charles Rice said.
sbomkamp@tribune.com | Twitter: @SamWillTravel
S&C relay at center of Super Bowl outage
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S&C relay at center of Super Bowl outage
