LITTLE ROCK, ARK. – The effects of widespread high temperatures have led to tightening electric reliability conditions in Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) 14-state service territory in the central U.S. We have issued an Energy Emergency Alert 1 (EEA1) effective at 12:30 pm central time and until further notice.
The declaration of an EEA1 does not require conservation of energy and does not indicate that SPP will be directing controlled service outages. Instead, an EEA1 is an indication that while SPP has enough generation available to meet demand and fulfill its reserve obligations, conditions exist that could put reserves at risk if they worsen.
End-use customers in the SPP region should follow their local utilities’ instructions regarding the potential for outages, the need to conserve electricity or natural gas, and other steps to ensure their safety and the integrity of the regional grid.
An EEA1 is the first of three levels of energy emergency alert. An EEA2 would be triggered if SPP could no longer meet expected energy reserve requirements, or if SPP foresaw or had taken actions up to but excluding the interruption of firm load obligations.
Nebraska Public Power District spokesman Grant Otten says it’s not currently expected that SPP would move to a higher, more-severe alert level.
