Electricity Becoming Less Reliable DAVID STROM

Electricity Becoming Less Reliable DAVID STROM

...Last week, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) – the body in charge of US and Canadian grid reliability – published its latest 10-year outlook, saying that “sharp increases in peak demand forecasts and the potential for higher generator retirements are raising concerns for electric reliability over the next 10 years”. The regulator is projecting electricity shortfalls in areas where legacy generator retirements are expected before enough replacements are built to meet rising demand.

In addition, there are risks that the future generation mix in some regions could fail to deliver the enough electricity to meet demand under “energy-constrained conditions” including periods of low wind output or sub-freezing temperatures which can disrupt gas supplies to power stations where infrastructure is insufficiently weather-proofed. It says most parts of the United States face blackout risks over the next 10 years.