Super Bowl Blackout: Was It Caused by Relay Device, or Human Error?
New Orleans' power company blames a faulty relay device for the Super Bowl power outage, but the equipment's maker says incorrect settings triggered the failure.
At an emergency meeting of the New Orleans City Council utility regulatory committee, the power company had no answer to why the relay failed. Though there was some discussion that an independent probe might be needed, council members laced their questions with civic pride.
"The reason that you've identified is not a reason that was the fault of Entergy, or the Superdome or anyone here in New Orleans, is that correct?" asked city council member James Austin Gray II.
"As best as we can tell, the partial outage was due to a device that was manufactured in Chicago," said Charles Rice, president and chief executive of Entergy New Orleans.
But the manufacturer, S&C Electric, a 102-year-old designer of switching and protection products
