Black Start

De: Dennis Lawler

Narrado por: Jeff Heisler

When an unprecedented cold front settled in over the state of Texas in the late winter of 2021, demand for electricity soared just while much of the power supply was disabled by the unrelenting deep-freeze conditions. Four million people were without power for weeks, and 150 people lost their lives. It could have been much, much worse.

A power plant needs electricity to operate. If any plant were to shut down completely and be isolated from the grid, it will need an external source to restart, a complex procedure called “Black Start”.

Black Start is a novel that weaves the story of a highly competent Russian agent, Ivan Stravinsky, who has devised a scheme to replicate the conditions that attended the 2021 debacle in Texas, and then to disable the few unreliable and poorly maintained Black Start units scattered throughout the state. One small, independent-minded utility in West Texas is standing in his way as Stravinsky sets out to disrupt the entire economy of Texas.

©2022 Dennis Lawler (P)2023 Dennis Lawler