The capacity of the electric grid is a topic that’s becoming more commonplace as the population and demand for electricity increase. The rolling blackouts of Winter Storm Uri in 2021 sparked a vigilance and new awareness of the complex electric system that didn’t exist before at the level it does today. One organization we all became more familiar with: The Southwest Power Pool (SPP).
The SPP — responsible for coordinating electric reliability in a 14-state area in the central United States — recently reported it expects to have enough generation to meet energy demand despite higher regional temperatures being predicted this summer.
“As a regional transmission organization, SPP’s top priority is to ensure reliability” said Bruce Rew, SPP senior vice president of operations. “We work with our member utilities to monitor the electric grid, maintain contingency plans, and collaborate during periods of operational challenges. While we anticipate no major concerns this summer, we are prepared for any circumstance. Despite a forecast of higher-than-normal temperatures, SPP is confident in our ability to keep the lights on for the 18 million people in our region.”
SPP conducts this assessment each year to identify and mitigate threats to energy reliability during the summer season lasting from June to September. The analysis considers factors such as historical and predicted future electricity use, weather forecasts, the variability of available wind energy, drought conditions and generation and transmission outages.
Meteorological models predict a 33-50% chance of greater temperatures this summer at varying levels in the SPP footprint. There are similar percentages of chances for below normal rainfall in the states served by SPP. There is a 90% probability of SPP serving all loads during summer peak usage hours.
If extreme weather, unexpected outages or other circumstances affect the region, SPP has systems, tools and procedures ready to mitigate risks and maintain electric reliability. Under different scenarios, the grid operator may call on generating units to commit to run earlier or more often than usual, delay planned outages, import energy from neighboring systems or tap into available reserves depending on the severity and duration of events affecting energy reliability.
No matter the case, your electric company will alert you if action is needed on your part due to capacity concerns.
Southwest Power Pool, Inc. is a regional transmission organization: a not-for-profit corporation mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity.
