Why Chiefs and Eagles fans shouldn't worry about another Caesars Superdome power outage during Super Bowl LIX
You might recall that when New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Superdome, last played host to the NFL for Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, things didn't go according to plan. Shortly after Beyonce's halftime show, the Superdome experienced a partial power outage. The temporary blackout lasted for a staggering 34 […]
You might recall that when New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Superdome, last played host to the NFL for Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, things didn't go according to plan.
Shortly after Beyonce's halftime show, the Superdome experienced a partial power outage. The temporary blackout lasted for a staggering 34 minutes, impacting about 50% of the stadium and halting the game. It caused chaos for the league, broadcasters, and, of course, the teams, who still had a whole half of football left to play.
"How the hell does this happen? This is insane," then-Ravens QB Joe Flacco said via the NFL's mic'd up.
"Hey, fam, we might have a 20-minute delay," 49ers WR Michael Crabtree said on the sidelines. "Yeah, get your mind right."
The outage was eventually traced to a malfunctioning relay device that was supposed to protect against a surge. Since Super Bowl XLVII, the Superdome has undergone a multi-year, $560 million renovation project. This project included quality-of-life changes at the stadium, like new locker rooms, but it also included substantial upgrades to its electrical systems.
The electrical system upgrades include the installation of LED lights like the ones recently installed at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. They don't take nearly as long to come on as the old metal-halide lamps used in many NFL stadiums, which is one reason why Super Bowl XLVII took so long to resume play. The renovation also included electrical upgrades to other essential life-safety equipment, such as HVAC and fire alarms.
Should an outage occur, the Superdome is equipped with four Caterpillar C18 standby diesel generator sets for backup power. These aren't for keeping the game going, but they would power emergency systems such as lighting egresses to help people safely evacuate the stadium during an outage. The stadium's power provider has a backup substation that can feed the stadium if their primary goes down for any reason.
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