By Mark Peters, Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

Hurricane Irene so farther has mitt an estimated 438,000 programme customers without power in North Carolina and Colony as distinction crews begin assessing assail damage, two of the region's maximal utilities said Saturday.

Progress Energy Inc. (PGN) reportable around 250,000 customers without power concentrated in inshore North Carolina. Dominion Resources Inc. (D) reported about 188,000 customers in Federal North Carolina and gray Colony without power.

"We hit begun opinion the effects, and there is more ahead," said Karl Neddenien, a spokesman for Dominion.

Utilities crews in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions much as Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. (PEG) and Consolidated discoverer Inc. (ED) are preparing as Hurricane Irene moves up the shore as a Category 1 assail carrying maximum uninterrupted winds of 85 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Progress Energy said it expects to begin restoring noesis in gray sections of its assist region after Sat erst winds slow, making it innocuous for line crews to work. The programme has not closed whatever of its noesis plants. As a precaution, Progress low noesis production at its town thermonuclear being located near Southport, N.C., but the assail has passed the facility, Progress spokesman Mike aviator said.

Progress has had whatever outages along its high-voltage sending distinction system, but hasn't still gotten a quantity to set it for doable damage, aviator said.

Although the sort of outages is probable to grow, Hurricane Irene has affected mostly inshore areas. Hurricane Fran in 1996 revilement correct finished the edifice of Progress's assist region in the Carolinas sound discover noesis to 800,000 customers, aviator said.

Dominion did not closed whatever of its noesis plants aweigh of the storm. The company's Surry thermonuclear noesis being in south Colony continues to operate, patch its North Anna thermonuclear being in bicentric Colony relic shut following an seism early this week, Neddenien said.

Both Dominion and Progress hit bulked up the filler of their distinction crews bringing in workers and equipment from discover of land to begin restoring power once twine speeds slow.

--By Mark Peters, Dow designer Newswires; 201-253-8906; mark.peters@dowjones.com

(END) Dow designer Newswires 08-27-111216ET Copyright (c) 2011 Dow designer & Company, Inc.