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NERC report highlights long-term reliability risks
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently released its annual Long-Term Reliability Assessment, showing Minnesota faces elevated risks in delivering electricity to you in the coming years as demand for electricity grows.
Your team at Wright-Hennepin (WH) is aware of this projected shortfall and is closely monitoring additional projections, developments and capacity. You may even recall a similar post from us in 2022.
For background, NERC is a not-for-profit regulatory authority, overseeing national electric reliability. Part of their duty is monitoring capacity, or how much electricity the overall system can handle, and part of their duty is monitoring demand, which is how much need there is for electricity in everyone’s daily lives.
NERC also provides oversight to regional power grid operators. The regional operator for Minnesota is the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which serves 15 U.S. states and part of Canada.
NERC’s latest report indicates the MISO region has a high possibility of reliability risks in 2028-2030, meaning projected available resources will not keep up with demand. While renewable resources - such as battery storage, wind, and solar - are coming online, these resources are not always available in volume on days they are most needed, nor are they becoming available in a quantity sufficient to keep pace with increasing demand. Similarly, “firm” resources, such as coal or natural gas plants, may become unavailable at any time with little notice if it becomes necessary to address a maintenance or operational issue at the plant.
While high peak demand during the summer months remains a concern, this assessment notes increasing winter reliability risks. Members may recall receiving an email from WH several weeks ago asking that they conserve energy. While further winter events like this in the immediate future are unlikely, they are possible. So, what can you do as a WH member?
Consider joining one of WH’s Energy-Saving Programs. These programs provide significant value to WH members and the electric grid. Members participating in these programs help by reducing their electricity use during times when electricity demand is highest, and also pay reduced rates for common electricity needs like home heating, air conditioning, water heating, and electric vehicle (EV) charging, WH also manages a fleet of generators for our Commercial and Industrial members. These programs together allow us to drop up to 10% of our load during critical times, ensuring, as a cooperative, we’re doing our part for grid reliability.
Be prepared, stay informed. If demand threatens to exceed supply, WH will notify our membership via email, posts on social sites, and information on whe.org. We’ll ask you to do simple things like adjust your thermostat, delay using your washer and dryer, or other simple tips. It’s also just good planning to prepare for a sustained outage. Be sure your devices like phones and computers are charged and consider buying power packs to stay connected with us through your wireless devices. Have some backup water, non-perishable food, and a radio with batteries on hand. Learn more about being prepared for power outages.