Nebraska, Iowa among 17 states included in energy department emergency power order - WOWT

What the report says

WOWT reported that the U.S. Department of Energy issued an emergency power order over the weekend covering 17 states, including Nebraska and Iowa, as a prolonged period of dangerous heat raised concerns about electricity demand. The order, signed by Energy Secretary Chris Wright, allows the Southwest Power Pool to rely on backup generation to help avoid a formal energy emergency.

The Southwest Power Pool is a regional grid organization serving utilities across parts of the central and western United States. WOWT listed Nebraska members such as OPPD, LES and NPPD, and Iowa members including Northwest Iowa, Corn Belt and L&O power cooperatives; the station noted MidAmerican Energy is not part of SPP. Other states named in the order include Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, the Dakotas and several others.

According to WOWT, the Energy Department said Monday that more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation remained available nationwide. The order said SPP had identified an emergency situation on July 19 and warned that high peak demand could coincide with lower wind production, increasing the risk of outages. SPP also issued resource advisories on July 18 and July 24 for its eastern area, which includes Nebraska, with the latest advisory running until 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30.

An OPPD spokesperson told WOWT that the advisory affecting its customers did not call for outages or conservation measures and said the utility’s grid and generation fleet were meeting demand despite high temperatures. WOWT also noted that SPP faced a winter emergency in December 2022 after extreme cold drove record electricity use.