The leader of the Southwest Power Pool, the regional grid of which Oklahoma and 13 other states are members, is expressing concern over the future of the grid.
Writing in a September newsletter, Barbara Sugg, President and Chief Executive Officer of the grid said, “I am concerned now more than ever about the future of our shared electric and our ability to provide the reliable and affordable service consumers expect.”
She noted that the energy system is in the midst of radical change.
“Demand for electricity is outpacing supply from our generation fleet, and we are facing an increase in extreme weather events that are causing grid emergencies, tight operating conditions, and risks to human health and safety.”
Sugg said the SPP faces a need for continued investment to add the generating and transmission facilities needed to mitigate risks and keep the lights on.
“SPP—along with our members, regulators, policymakers, regional transmission organizations, and consumers—must form a coalition to meet our critical mission of responsibly and economically keeping the lights on,” called Sugg. “A concerted, collective effort is needed to ensure we have a reliable power grid today and in the future.”
Her expressed concerns came just a few weeks after the Southwest Power Pool declared an EEA Level 1 for the entire Balancing Authority on August 26 due “to high temperatures” across most of the 14-state service territory and “low region-wide wind output” and generation and transmission outages.”
SPP experienced such events three times before August 26. One was on August 6, 2019, during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 and during Winter Storm Elliot in December 2022.
The newsletter also reported that during the second quarter of the year, the SPP reached a new renewable record of 25,475 MW on June `7, beating the previous renewable record of 25,024 MW on September 4, 2023. The renewable is made up of wind, solar, hydro and waste.
During the second quarter, wind made up 42% of the real-time generation mix while gas contributed 28.1%, coal 21%, nuclear 4.5% and hydro 3.7%.