Grid operator in US central states warns of potential rolling blackouts
Tweet
Share
E-mail
FILE PHOTO: A woman jogs by power lines, as California's grid operator urged the state's 40 million people to ratchet down the use of electricity in homes and businesses as a wave of extreme heat settled over much of the state, in Mountain View, Californi
By Tim McLaughlin
July 20 (Reuters) - The regional U.S. grid operator for 14 central states warned on Monday evening that it could order rolling blackouts because the power system was on the brink of an electricity shortfall due to record demand.
Several power plants unexpectedly tripped offline, leaving reserve margins razor thin amid a heat wave in the territory stretching from North Dakota to Louisiana.
The pool, called the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), issued a level three energy alert, meaning the grid operator used some or all of its operating reserves to serve demand. The grid operator said it had not had to order rolling blackouts despite the high risk.
SPP issued the level three alert about 6 p.m. EDT for its western territory, before ratcheting down the threat level a couple of hours later.
On rare occasion, grid operators will order controlled blackouts to prevent outages from cascading across a wider area.
(Reporting By Tim McLaughlin; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Serious News for Serious Traders! Try StreetInsider.com Premium Free!
You May Also Be Interested In
- French lawmakers back farm bill despite pesticide outcry
- Exclusive-Boeing asks US to intervene over record EU loan to Airbus
- Lebanese army deploys in southern town after Israeli withdrawal, official says
Create E-mail Alert Related Categories
ReutersSign up for StreetInsider Free!
Receive full access to all new and archived articles, unlimited portfolio tracking, e-mail alerts, custom newswires and RSS feeds - and more!
