#Infrastructure: Power Grid

NERC projects "elevated risk" to the power supply in all regions of U.S. except Southeast; prepare for outages during summer 2023.

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has published its Annual Summer Reliability #Power #Grid Assessment which has projected an "elevated risk" to electrical supply across the nation. Exempting the Southeast; the assessment found that most of the U.S. is at risk for blackouts/brownouts (temporary unplanned/planned power outages).

NERC reports that "challenges of the rapidly-changing resource mix" (climate change initiatives shifting energy production away from fossil fuels) and a "substantial increase in forecasted peak demand and new loads" are causing the risk estimates. Renewable energy dependency is expected to cause the summer to "have tighter hours than last summer with a higher risk of emergency operations."

Specific risks were projected for New England and all states West of Ohio (West, Midwest, Southwest, and Northeast).

A review of the assessment explained that "natural gas and coal delivery infrastructure constraints, new federal environmental restrictions, supply chain issues, low water levels near hydropower plants, and 'unexpected tripping' of wind and solar resources during grid disturbances all represent other risks facing the U.S. grid."

》Sources: https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_SRA_2023.pdf | https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-power-grid-facing-elevated-risk-shortages-summer-green-energy-push-watchdog