How New Orleans will prevent another Super Bowl blackout
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Players from the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers stand on the field during 34-minute power outage during Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3, 2013, in New Orleans. Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Remember when the power went out the last time New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl? We sure do.
Why it matters: The pressure is on to prove that Entergy can keep the lights on for Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome and avoid another national embarrassment.
Catch up quick: In 2013, New Orleans hosted the Super Bowl in the Superdome, which was called the Mercedes-Benz Superdome at the time.
- Beyoncé rocked the halftime show and then the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers took the field. Moments into playtime, half the lights in the Dome flicked off.
- Some players worried it was a terrorist attack, according to ESPN, while coaches thought a generator must have blown. Go deeper for what they were thinking.
- The lights came back on after 34 minutes, and the Ravens went on to win the game.
The big picture: Entergy spokesman Beau Tidwell tells Axios that what happened in 2013 "physically can not happen again."
- Entergy replaced the faulty equipment at the Dome's power vault that caused the outage, says Shelton Hudson, Entergy Louisiana's director of transmission reliability.
- The Superdome also replaced the older style lights that needed time to warm up, contributing to the long delay, he said. The new LED lights immediately turn on.
How it works: Hudson says Entergy also has several layers of redundancy this Super Bowl so there's backup if something breaks.
- Power coming into the city: Entergy has three transmission lines bringing electricity to the substations that power the Dome. Only one line is needed to fully power the game.
- Two substations in different geographic locations can power the Dome. One can produce enough electricity for the game.
- Three feeder lines connect the substations to the Dome's power vault. Only one is needed for full capacity.
Between the lines: Entergy also is setting up a mobile command center and deploying crews to each of the infrastructure elements for the Super Bowl.
- If something breaks, they'll be there.
- Plus, they've increased security at the substations and power vault.
Zoom in: Entergy says the energy load — the power needed during the Super Bowl — isn't the problem.
- The Super Bowl is expected to use about 12 megawatts of power, which is the same as a Saints game or any of Taylor Swift's shows, Hudson said. It's enough to power 7,000 homes.
- Beyoncé's 2023 show in New Orleans so far holds the record for the biggest power usage with 16 megawatts, or the equivalent of powering 10,000 homes.
- Entergy says it can handle up to 19 megawatts at the Dome. "We do not anticipate that the Super Bowl itself will be anything close to our capacity," Hudson said.
What's next: The game kicks off at 5:30pm CT Feb. 9 between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
