SPP ends Energy Emergency Alert, remains in conservative operations

As of 9:30 a.m. today, Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is no longer under an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA). SPP remains in a period of conservative operations until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, for the entire SPP balancing authority area. At 10:00 a.m. this morning, MRES was able to notify our six members, who have been operating their local generators since Sunday night, that they could shut down all municipal generation. Those members were Denison, Lake Park, and Rock Rapids, Iowa; Luverne and Moorhead, Minnesota; and Fort Pierre, South Dakota.

In a news release issued by SPP:
As of 9:30 a.m. Central time, Feb. 18, Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is no longer under an energy emergency alert (EEA). Due to continuing high loads and other implications of severe cold weather, it remains in a period of conservative operations until 10 p.m. Central time, Feb. 20, for the entire SPP balancing authority area.

“SPP thanks its members, neighboring systems and the millions of people in our region for their response to this historic event,” said Barbara Sugg, SPP president and chief executive officer. “This has been a case study in everyone doing their part on behalf of the greater good. We take our responsibility to keep the lights on very seriously and appreciate the trust placed in us to do so. Thanks to voluntary conservation by people across our 14-state region, the quick actions taken by local utilities, and the dedication and expertise of our operators, we’re thankful we could keep the region-wide impact of this storm to a minimum.”

While grid conditions have improved, we anticipate load and generation fluctuation over the next 48 hours, and conditions could change rapidly. In periods of conservative operations, SPP may use longer-term unit commitment notifications, including making commitments prior to day-ahead and/or committing resources that are in reliability status.

SPP previously declared a move from EEA Level 2 to EEA Level 1 at 10:59 p.m. Central time, Feb. 17, 2021. An EEA is declared when all available resources have been committed to meet obligations, and SPP is at risk of not meeting required operating reserves.

“SPP’s and our members’ grid operators are highly trained in crisis situations and work closely together to bring power back online in a controlled manner to ensure grid stability and safety,” said Bruce Rew, SPP senior vice president of operations. “We appreciate how impactful the loss of electricity can be, especially in extreme cold, and only direct our utilities to temporarily reduce regional electricity use when it’s the only way to prevent longer, more widespread, more dangerous, and more costly blackouts.”

This cold-weather event marks the first time in SPP’s history that it has declared Energy Emergency Alert Levels 2 or 3 for its entire region. It is also the first time the grid operator has had to direct member utilities to implement controlled, temporary service interruptions to prevent widespread blackouts.

“Considering the historic nature of this storm and how broadly it affected the entire SPP region, we’re grateful we could limit the use of controlled service interruptions to lessen the chance of longer, more impactful and more costly outages,” said Lanny Nickell, SPP executive vice president and chief operating officer.