ERMUSR MISC ISSUES 07-06-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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U.S. power grid expected to perform well The industry group than people in eight states and parts of monitors the nsnons electric were thrust into darkness. • grid expects the system to per- Most distressing, industry experts form adequately this summer, although said, is that nine months alter the largest it warned that"uncontrolled blackouts' blackout in U.S- history the nation's were possible if power providers fail— reliability standards remain voluntary. as they did last August -- to comply Reliability standards deal with every- with reliability standards.The North thing from tree-trimming around • American Electric Reliability Council power lines to the protocols by which also warned that the increasing volume grid operators dispatch power of power trading that goes on in deregu- Hoff-Stauffer, an analyst at lated markets can cause "volatile and Cambridge Energy Research Associates unpredictable flow patterns (that) can in Cambridge, Mass., said another per- pose significant challenges for transmis- sistent problem is that power generation lion system operators." and transmission capacity has nor The group said it expects peak increased in areas where it is most need- • power demand to rise by 2.5 percent ed, particularly in the Midwest, where from last year, slightly above the histori- the cascading Aug. 14 blackout began. ; cal average of 2.4 percent, but that there As a result, transmission lines in the should be enough electric generation region will likely be stressed during capacity in all regions to handle this periods of peak demand and that reduces increased load. reliability, Stauffer said. Problems could arise, the group said, NERC's summer outlook addressed in managing the delivery of that power. the issue by saying the Midwest's i Significant vulnerabilities remain even "transmission system could become though grid operators have upgraded constrained during peak periods as a technology and become better coordinat- result of generating unit unavailability, • ed since last Aug. 14, when 50 million or unplanned transmission outages." i Power supplies adequate for this summer T his summer's peak "adequate" to meet the needs of the electric demand int the Upper member electr ic companies for the Midwest is projected to be coming season. Specifically, the report 33,335 megawatts or 2.4 percent above says that for the northern MAPP region last summer's actual peak. Power plant "no significant operational issues are additions should give the region a 18.6 expected this summer..." percent reserve margin, according to The electric energy needs of the the Mid-Continent Area Power Pool Upper Midwest are provided by member (MAPP), the region's electric reliability utilities in MAPP Utilities work together group. through MAPP to coordinate the opera- In addition to new generation, the Lion of electrical generation and trans- MAPP assessment notes that the region's mission facilities and ensure maximum transmission system is judged to he efficiency and reliability. IsA ci� ay c: -0O` Creak K1✓¢r Jl e W s