As scorching temperatures push America’s power grid to the brink, concerns are mounting over potential blackouts affecting some 20 million people.
In response to these looming threats, the US Department of Energy (DOE) took action on Sunday, granting the grid operator responsible for parts of 17 states the authority to utilize reserve power sources.
This decision permits normally dormant backup plants to activate and supply extra electricity if the soaring demand risks overloading the grid.
States impacted by this emergency measure include Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and Montana. It also encompasses areas in Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Empowered by the DOE’s order, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which manages the central US power infrastructure, can now activate backup generators to maintain stable electricity supplies if necessary.
It is the final step before a Level 3 Energy Emergency Alert, which could trigger rolling blackouts to prevent a wider collapse.
The order will remain in effect through August 3 to ‘mitigate the risk of blackouts,’ according to the DOE.
It comes as 40 million Americans face extreme heat warnings, with soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity driving up demand for air conditioning.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) on Sunday authorized the grid operator serving parts of 17 states to deploy idle power sources to help prevent blackouts
Former DOE official Kerry Duggan said extreme heat is increasingly becoming an energy challenge rather than a simple weather event.
‘As we experience more frequent and longer-lasting heat waves, our ability to keep homes, businesses and critical facilities cool depends on having a reliable and resilient electric grid,’ Duggan said.
National Weather Service’s Monday alerts across much of that region forecast temperatures or heat indexes above 100F, with readings reaching 113F to 115F in parts of Louisiana.
Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska were also facing dangerous conditions approaching 110F.
Meteorologists have blamed the brutal conditions on another heat dome, which traps hot air over a region and causes temperatures to climb for days.
US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said: ‘The Trump Administration is tapping into an abundant supply of unused backup generation to maintain affordable, reliable, and secure power for hardworking American families and businesses.
‘The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during emergency events.
‘Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we are reversing those failures and using every available tool to ensure Americans have continued access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy to power and cool their homes.’
The order was issued Sunday and will remain in effect through August 3 to ‘mitigate the risk of blackouts,’ according to DOE
Meteorologists have blamed the brutal conditions on another heat dome, which traps hot air over a region and causes temperatures to climb for days
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DOE estimates that more than 35 gigawatts (GW) of unused backup generation remain available nationwide.
The risk of rotating blackouts escalated in SPP in the past week.
On Friday, a sudden loss of electricity imported from neighboring grids left the utility company with razor-thin reserves for possible power plant outages and falling renewable generation in its territory spanning parts of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah.
SPP avoided outages that day by appealing for voluntary conservation of electricity to maintain reserves.
But the company expected the western territory’s highest demand of the week on Sunday evening as temperatures rose above 90F.