OF A GREATER MAGNITUDE. ROB: BUT THE DEMAND DOES N STOP AT THE NEBRASKA BORDER. THE SOUTHWEST POWER POOL COVERS A 14-STATE REGION, THE IMPACT CAN AND DOES CROSS STATE LINES. JULIE: SO WHY DOESN’T OPPD G OFF THE LARGER GRID AND OPERATE ON ITS OWN KETV NEWSWATCH 7’S ALEXANDRA STONE TOOK THAT QUESTION TO THE COMPANY’S CE ALEXANDRA: OPPD PRESIDENT TIM BURKE SAYS FEDERAL REGULATIONS DATING BACK TO THE 1990S LED TO THIS SYSTEM WE HAVE TODA BURKE NOTING MOST OF THE UNITED STATES HAS THESE REGIONAL TRANSMISSION ORGANIZATIONS, HE SAYS BEING PART OF ONE HAS BENEFITTED US MANY TIMES THE OMAHA PUBLIC POWER DISTRICT NAVIGATES A SECOND DAY OF PLANNED OUTAGES IN THE RECORD-BREAKING COLD. BURKE: WE ARE JUST FINDING THIS PERFECT STORM. ALEXANDRA: THE ORDERS COME FROM THE SOUTHWEST POWER POOL, WHIC MANAGES THE GRID FOR OPPD, NPPD, LES IN LINCOLN, AND UTILITIES IN 14 STATE OPPD JOINED IN 2009. BURKE SAYS THE WINTER WEATHER CAUSED POWER SUPPLY ISSUES I PARTS OF THE SPP SYSTEM IN OKLAHOMA AND THE TEXAS PANHANDLE, LEADING TO THE CA FOR NEBRASKA AND OTHERS TO HELP OU BURKE: THAT’S WHAT THE POWER POOL DOES, WE SHARE GENERATIONS ACROSS THE SYSTEM. ALEXANDRA: BURKE SAYS UTILITY PARTNERS STEPPED UP TO HELP US IN THE PAST, LIKE THE FLOOD OF 2011, WHEN THE FORT CALHOUN NUCLEAR STATION WASN’T GENERATING POWER. AND IN THE MOST RECENT FLOOD TWO YEARS AGO. BURKE: THE OTHER PARTS OF SPP HELPED OPPD DURING THAT TIME. AND WE DO THAT LIKEWISE OR OTHER THINGS THAT MAY GO ON IN THE REGION. ALEXANDRA: OFFICIALS WITH SOUTHWEST POWER POOL ADDRESSED THE PLANNED OUTAGES TUESDAY WHICH IMPACTED COMMUNITIES FROM TEXAS TO THE DAKOTAS BURKE: WE HAVE BEEN COORDINATI POWER, SINCE 1941. ALEXANDRA: SPP SAYS WHEN IT MAKES A REQUEST FOR A PLANNED OUTAGE, EACH UTILITY’S CUTBACK IS PROPORTIONATE TO IT’S AREA’S CONSUMPTION. LOCAL UTILITIES DECIDE WHERE THE OUTAGES HAPPEN. OFFICIALS NOTE GRIDS OUTSIDE SPP ARE FEELING THE STRAIN BURKE: THE OTHER GRID OPERATOR IN THE U.S. ARE FACING SIMILAR OR WORSE CHALLENGES. ALEXANDRA: INCLUDING PARTS O TEXAS THAT FALL OUTSIDE THE SOUTHWEST POWER POOL. HERE’S THAT MAP AGAIN, SPP COVERS NORTHERN PARTS OF T STATE. BUT MUCH OF TEXAS HAS IT’S OWN POWER GRID. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THE ERCOT COVERAGE AREA LOST POWER SOME FOR OVER 36 HOUR >> THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT WE’ TRYING TO PREVENT IS LONG DURATION OUTAGES THAT WILL HAVE CATASTROPHIC IMPACTS TO PEOPLE ALEXANDR THEY SAID IT IS REQUIRED TO TAKE THESE MEASURES. THEY ALSO POINTED TO UNCONTROLLED OUTAGES THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTR
Nebraska Public Power District: Prepare for rotating outages Wednesday morning
On Wednesday morning, Nebraska Public Power District told customers that they should prepare for potential rotating outages.”We have been notified that SPP will be moving to an Emergency Alert Level 3 at 9 a.m.,” they wrote on Twitter. “This may affect service to our customers. We will have very little, if any, notice of where these interruptions may take place. Please prepare for outages lasting 45 minutes or longer.”Omaha Public Power District said there are no requests for outages for their service area at this time, but that could change.”This is a very fluid situation and we could be directed by the SPP to implement controlled outages with very little advance notice,” officials said. The rotating outages were reported throughout Monday and Tuesday. Omaha Public Power District President Tim Burke said the rotating outages, which occurred throughout Monday and in the morning Tuesday, would continue if Southwest Power Pool deemed it necessary and asked. The outages were said to last 30 minutes to an hour, though some customers reported outages that went on longer.Officials said this event was the first time since 1941 that SPP has been on an Alert Level 2 or 3. SPP”We’ll start to see more and more consumption as the evening grows. And it’s it’s possible that we could be back in this situation again later tonight. If we survive tonight without having to direct further curtailments and interruptions of of service, we could be back in this tomorrow. There’s a lot of factors at play,” Lanny Nickell, chief operating officer for SPP, said.SPP senior vice president of government affairs and public relations Mike Ross said while the rotating outages are not ideal, it’s important to prevent worse.”A coordinated temporary interruption of service is something that we never want. But, when we’re required to do it, it ensures that no one is without power for very long and prevents potential damage to the system which can can lead to longer outages,” he said. “We’re doing it so that it does not lead to longer prolonged outages.”Officials said voluntary conservation did make an impact.”I can tell you on Monday, our load projection was actually about 1500 megawatts higher than what we actually saw during the peak, and we believe that’s because at least to some extent because of the voluntary actions that were being taken in concert with the public appeals issued by our member utilities,” Nickell said.
On Wednesday morning, Nebraska Public Power District told customers that they should prepare for potential rotating outages.
“We have been notified that SPP will be moving to an Emergency Alert Level 3 at 9 a.m.,” they wrote on Twitter. “This may affect service to our customers. We will have very little, if any, notice of where these interruptions may take place. Please prepare for outages lasting 45 minutes or longer.”
Omaha Public Power District said there are no requests for outages for their service area at this time, but that could change.
“This is a very fluid situation and we could be directed by the SPP to implement controlled outages with very little advance notice,” officials said.
The rotating outages were reported throughout Monday and Tuesday.
Omaha Public Power District President Tim Burke said the rotating outages, which occurred throughout Monday and in the morning Tuesday, would continue if Southwest Power Pool deemed it necessary and asked. The outages were said to last 30 minutes to an hour, though some customers reported outages that went on longer.
Officials said this event was the first time since 1941 that SPP has been on an Alert Level 2 or 3. SPP
“We’ll start to see more and more consumption as the evening grows. And it’s it’s possible that we could be back in this situation again later tonight. If we survive tonight without having to direct further curtailments and interruptions of of service, we could be back in this tomorrow. There’s a lot of factors at play,” Lanny Nickell, chief operating officer for SPP, said.
SPP senior vice president of government affairs and public relations Mike Ross said while the rotating outages are not ideal, it’s important to prevent worse.
“A coordinated temporary interruption of service is something that we never want. But, when we’re required to do it, it ensures that no one is without power for very long and prevents potential damage to the system which can can lead to longer outages,” he said. “We’re doing it so that it does not lead to longer prolonged outages.”
Officials said voluntary conservation did make an impact.
“I can tell you on Monday, our load projection was actually about 1500 megawatts higher than what we actually saw during the peak, and we believe that’s because at least to some extent because of the voluntary actions that were being taken in concert with the public appeals issued by our member utilities,” Nickell said.