If the ice storm that devastated eastern Ontario and western Quebec had hit the Peterborough area, Trent University could supply enough power to keep Symons Campus from completely shutting down.

        Under optimum conditions, Trent can generate two megawatts of electricity at its hydro generating station. That's half the capacity it normally uses at Symons Campus.

        "We wouldn't be completely cut off," says operations engineer Colin Campbell. "But we would be drastically affected."

        Except for peripheral buildings like Mackenzie House, most buildings on the main campus are supplied by underground cables so wouldn't be in danger of damage by accumulating ice, says Campbell. Nevertheless, having to shed half the electrical load would require cancelling teaching, shutting down most buildings, consolidating cooking and supplying residences with power on a rotating basis if students were not evacuated. ³We would have to shed about 50 per cent of the university's load in order not to trip [hydro station] generators," said Campbell.

        Furnaces at Trent all have control systems that are electrical so "they would be materially affected," said Campbell. There are only two fireplaces -- in Champlain and Lady Eaton colleges -- but they would be inadequate as a source of heat for students in residence, he said.

        The university has a single 150-kilowatt generator that it stores in the Environmental Sciences Centre. In the event of a power outage, it would supply enough power to keep research-lab refrigerators running, says Campbell.

        Trent has been identified as a disaster relief site in Peterborough as part of the city-county disaster response plan. If there were a massive blackout, residents of nursing homes would be evacuated to the Athletics Centre and Trent's priority would be to supply that building with power, says Campbell.

        All Trent's buildings are equipped with backup battery-operated systems that would provide emergency exit lighting and fire safety systems for 30 minutes following a blackout to ensure orderly evacuation, says Campbell.

        "We take electricity so much for granted," he said.