In pictures: Polar vortex gives new life to ageing US power plants

The Manhattan skyline is framed by ice crusted on a barrier on the Observation Deck of New York’s Empire State Building. Richard Drew / AP Photo

Cory Bean works atop a utility pole to repair a power line in East Lansing, Michigan. Mr Bean was part of a crew from utility service company T&D Solutions out of Kentucky brought in to assist Consumers Energy with restoring power in Michigan after the ice storm. Al Goldis / AP Photo

Ice cover on the Great Lakes is seen in an image acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. NASA / Reuters

A flock of Geese fly past the smokestacks at the Jeffrey Energy Centre coal power plant as the suns sets near Emmett, Kansas. Charlie Riedel / AP Photo

A mechanised shovel loads a haul truck that can carry up to 250 tons of coal at the Spring Creek coal mine near Decker, Montana. Matthew Brown / AP Photo

The Duke Energy coal-fired power plant is seen from the Dan River in Eden, North Carolina in February, 2014. Chris Keane / Reuters

Kevin Pokorny works on his third house clearing snow for neighbors in Barrington, Illinois. The New Year’s Day snow storm brought double-digit snow totals to the suburbs of Chicago. Bob Chwedyk / AP Photo

Masses of arctic air have threatened some cities with winter blackouts.