Article By David Lindfield
Blackout fears are rising for roughly 20 million Americans as extreme heat drives electricity demand toward dangerous levels across a large section of the central United States.
The Department of Energy authorized the Southwest Power Pool to activate idle backup generators across parts of 17 states in an effort to prevent the grid from being overwhelmed.
The emergency order allows power plants that are normally offline to begin producing electricity if demand outpaces available supply.
It will remain in effect through August 3 to “mitigate the risk of blackouts,” according to the department.
Grid Operator Moves Closer to Emergency Alert
The order covers Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Southwest Power Pool oversees much of the central U.S. power grid and can now deploy backup generation if supplies become strained.
The authorization is the final step before a Level 3 Energy Emergency Alert, which could lead to rolling blackouts designed to prevent a broader grid collapse.
The risk has grown as approximately 40 million Americans face extreme heat warnings and rising humidity, sharply increasing demand for air conditioning.
National Weather Service alerts forecast temperatures or heat indexes above 100 degrees across much of the affected region, with readings reaching between 113 and 115 degrees in parts of Louisiana.
Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska are also facing dangerous conditions approaching 110 degrees.
Meteorologists attributed the heat to another heat dome trapping hot air over the region for days.
Trump Administration Blames Biden-Era Energy Policies
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the administration was using every available source of power to keep electricity flowing.
“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,” Wright said.
“The previous administration’s energy subtraction policies weakened the grid, leaving Americans more vulnerable during emergency events,” he continued.
“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 Department of Energy estimates that more than 35 gigawatts of unused backup generation remain available nationwide.
Former department official Kerry Duggan warned that extreme heat is increasingly becoming an energy security problem rather than merely a 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.
Utility Narrowly Avoided Outages Last Week
The threat of rolling blackouts increased across the Southwest Power Pool region during the past week.
On Friday, a sudden loss of imported electricity from neighboring grids left the operator with razor-thin reserves as it faced the possibility of plant outages and declining renewable energy production.
The affected western territory includes parts of Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Utah.
Southwest Power Pool avoided blackouts that day by asking customers to voluntarily conserve electricity.
The grid operator expected demand to climb even higher Sunday evening as temperatures rose above 90 degrees across much of the region.
With the emergency authorization now in place, utilities can bring backup generators online before the system reaches the point where rolling outages become necessary.
Be the first to comment