Hurricane Irene update: latest on N.J. power outages

STATEWIDE — As of 9 a.m., PSE&G said there were 250,000 customers without power due to the heavy winds and driving rain caused by Hurricane Irene.

About 70,000 customers already had power restored, PSE&G said. The company, the state’s largest electric and gas utility, provides service to 2.2 million customers.

Around 170,000 JCP&L customers in New Jersey have lost power, according to spokesman Ron Morano, mostly in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties.

The Oyster Creek nuclear plant, which is on the Atlantic Coast south of Toms River, shut down on Saturday before Irene’s arrival, while PSEG’s nuclear plants near Lower Alloways Creek were still running Sunday morning.

“All three units remain at full power no issues at all,” said spokesman Joe Delmar at 8 a.m.

Delmar said wind speeds hadn’t come close to the site’s “unusual event” cutoff of 74 miles per hour that must be reported to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

“We’ll continue to monitor river levels as the storm settles down,” Delmar said. “It’s at low tide right now.”

Storm conditions will likely delay repair efforts, said one PSE&G official early this morning.

“Crews will begin to restore service once the heavy winds subside and it is safe to work on overhead electric lines,” said Karen Johnson, spokeswoman for PSE&G. “Customers should be prepared for potentially lengthy outages.”

More power outages may be in store as forecasters predict maximum sustained winds between 40 to 50 mph with gusts up to 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

As rainfall from Hurricane Irene ramps up, southern Jersey is getting hit the hardest with widespread outages. In northern Jersey, PSE&G reported outages due to heavy winds that knocked trees and limbs onto power lines.

In Atlantic City, widespread outages were also reported and casinos closed for only the third time since gambling was legalized in the state in 1978 due to the storm.