Jack Money
Published: Mon 15 February 2021 5:10 PM
Updated: Mon February 15, 2021 5:41 PM
Oklahomas may be wondering when their power could go out or come back after local utilities, including Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., were briefly ordered Monday to initiate rolling power outages when power demand left the supply in the middle of it. land where frigid temperatures were far below normal.
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional transmission operator that oversees the grid that serves parts or all 14 states between here and Canada, notified users throughout the system at 12:30 p.m. that it was ordering blackouts in parts of its system in an effort to conserve available power supplies.
The order was generated because electricity consumption had exceeded the amount of energy available and the curtailments were necessary, officials said, to prevent further, more widespread and uncontrolled outages. It requested operators to limit their service by about 1.5% of peak demand on Monday morning.
About 50 minutes later, the SPP pulled its alert status back to a level 2, suspending the need for ongoing blackouts – at least for Monday afternoon.
But things change. We expect our cargo to be picked up again later tonight, and we could very well be in this situation again, and in and out of the required curtailments between now and Thursday, ”said Lanny Nickell, SPP’s chief operating officer, Monday afternoon.
“In our history as a grid operator, this is an unprecedented event and it is the first time that SPP has ever had to call for controlled interruptions in service. It is a last resort that we understand is a burden to our connected utilities and the customers they serve, but it is a step we consciously take to prevent conditions from getting worse, which could lead to uncontrolled outages of even more larger size. “
As for what may come, weather and conservation efforts will play a central role in answering that question.
“It all depends on whether we have enough energy to meet the demand,” Nickell said.