A power grid that services much of the Midwest, including Indiana, is at high risk of not meeting demand this summer, according to a report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator is a not-for-profit organization that supplies power to 42 million people. The organization has predicted drops in capacity every year since 2018, according to the report.
This year, MISO will have 2.3% less capacity than the previous summer, coupled with a 1.7% increase in demand. The report cites higher temperatures, power generation outages, low-wind conditions and a transmission line that was damaged in a Dec. 2021 storm as contributing factors.
MISO first announced insufficient generation of power for the summer in April. In a press release, MISO said they intended to use energy imports and emergency procedures to keep their service reliable.
The organization plans to use demand response, a strategy of asking customers to voluntarily reduce power consumption, if they are not able to meet predicted demand. In the event of extreme demand, MISO intends to use planned outages.
According to the report, July has the highest risk due to expected peak demand.
