Extreme temperatures and continuing droughts could lead to power outages in large parts of the country this summer, potentially leading to power shortages and power outages, the U.S. grid regulator said on Thursday. (Frederick J. Brown, AFP, Getty Images via CNN)
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ATLANA – Extreme temperatures and continuing droughts could lead to power outages in large parts of the country this summer, potentially leading to power shortages and power outages, a U.S. power regulator said Wednesday.
NERC, the regulatory body that monitors the health of the nation’s electricity infrastructure, says in its summer reliability assessment for 2022 that extreme temperatures and continuing droughts could lead to power outages. The high temperatures, the agency warns, will increase the demand for electricity. Meanwhile, drought conditions will reduce the amount of power available to meet this demand.
“The industry is preparing its equipment and operators for challenging summer conditions. However, persistent, extreme drought and accompanying weather patterns are unusual and tend to create additional stress on electricity supply and demand,” said Mark Olson, NERC Estimates’ Reliability Manager.
On Thursday, the NOAA Climate Forecasting Center called on almost all of the neighboring United States to experience temperatures above this summer.
The electricity grid is extremely delicate and the supply of electricity must always meet the demand for electricity, experts warn. If not, there may be a shortage of capacity. Deficit is when not enough energy is generated to meet demand.
During these situations, forced power outages begin, also known as mobile power outages – which is what millions of Americans risk seeing this summer – to prevent long-term damage to the grid.
But electricity grids are also vulnerable in the winter. In February 2021, Texas witnessed the highest demand for electricity when residents tried to keep warm.
To prevent the distortion of the live electricity grid, grid operators have been forced to introduce interruptions when Texans need energy the most.
More than 200 people have died during the electricity crisis, with hypothermia being the most common cause of death. An analysis after the storm, published in November, shows that power plants are unable to produce electricity mainly due to problems with natural gas and freezing of generators.
NERC says much of North America will have adequate resources and electricity this summer, but several markets are at risk of energy emergencies.
The upper Midwest and mid-south on the Mississippi River will face the highest risk this summer, warns NERC, where retirement from old power plants and increased demand are worrying. In addition, the region is without a key transmission line that was damaged by a tornado in December 2021. Texas, the west coast and the southwest are at increased risk.
In addition to extreme weather conditions, supply chain problems and an active season of forest fires will further include reliability this summer, the assessment warns.
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