Jackson Energy Authority Control Center Built to Operate in Emergencies

Jackson Energy Authority’s control center is built to keep Jackson’s utility systems operating – in any situation.

From its underground bunker construction to its backup power supplies, the control center is built to withstand West Tennessee’s natural disasters, including tornadoes, damaging storms and earthquakes.

The control center, located behind JEA’s main office downtown, is the new home of the Authority’s critical computer and utility monitoring systems – the heart that keeps the electric, natural gas, propane, water and wastewater systems operating.

“Jackson Energy Authority needs a location where it can stay operational during a natural disaster,” said John W. Williams, President and CEO. “This is part of our commitment to customers to provide reliable utility service and to restore service as quickly as possible in emergencies.”

On a normal day, the control center employees monitor utilities, keep computer systems operating, and answer calls from customers, said Jim Ferrell, manager of Operations. “In an emergency, the control center becomes the command post to restore utility service quickly and to stay in contact with customers.”

The centerpiece of the center is the systems dispatch room. A mosaic board – two stories high – sits in front of a bank of computers and gives real-time data from various parts of the systems, such as electric substations, gas gate stations, the water plants and wastewater plants.

A large video screen allows employees to enlarge selected areas of the system so they can better assess any problems and correct them more quickly. Other TV monitors provide information about weather and security.

The control center also is the home of JEA’s Call Center, which handles 650 to 1,500 customer calls on normal days, and all of JEA’s computer systems, including its main computer network and link to the Internet.

All of the computer and communications equipment in the building have battery backup through two uninterruptible power supplies. A natural gas generator can run the building in an emergency and will switch to propane if natural gas is unavailable.