Despite recent power outages, the electric grid remains stable

The North end of Big Horn County’s power grid looks stable, but if notifications are sent from your electric company, please heed those warnings and do what is asked, says Jeff Pillow, Big Horn Rural Electric Co. General Manager.

Turning up the thermostat a couple of degrees or only using one air conditioner at a time will help to ensure that all have some power. This will also assist the disabled and elderly community members so they continue to have power.

On July 20, an Emergency Energy Alert Level 1 (EEA1) was issued by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). This alert only lasted for about an hour, and the grid was back to stable conditions. SPP operates as the traffic officer in the power grid, ensuring producers are meeting the power demands and coordinating the transmission to our utility companies.

Then on July 24, the SPP declared an EEA2, which triggered the agency to power up generators that were static before. There are many other generators that are not used such as gas-powered generators, and wind and solar may also help during these times. However, our grid remains stable, and no outages were planned nor anticipated. This increased level was also quickly lowered throughout each of the EEAs, and the grid remained stable. 

At the request of SPP the Department of Energy issued an emergency order on July 26 because of the above-mentioned issues. This allowed SPP to begin utilizing back-up generation sources to prevent EEA3, which could have entailed rolling blackouts. 

The extended days of high temperatures favors a look toward the future. The high temperatures and extra load do strain the grid, and this is usually when the weakest spots in a grid are revealed, according to Pillow.

Recently, 2,000 area residents lost power due to a fire in a transformer that may have been overheated with extra load as an example of finding a weak spot in the grid. However, those issues are usually quickly resolved. A gas or natural gas backup generator is one other step community members can take to ensure a steady stream of electricity flow, and due diligence to create adequate ventilation for generator exhaust is necessary.

Rocky Mountain Power states that there have been no issues with availability from that company’s system, nor do they anticipate any issues with delivering reliable power supplies to its customers, regardless of temperature or extended periods of high temperatures. If necessary, customers will be notified with similar suggestions to conserve energy, however they also stated this is not necessary at this time.

RMP’s control centers have planned accordingly and are constantly monitoring to ensure a steady stream of power.  However, Pacific Corp has instituted an emergency protocol to prevent wildfires, according Big Horn County Emergency Management Coordinator LaRae Dobbs. This protocol may cause more frequent and longer power outages as an employee must physically go out and inspect the transmission line. However, this measure is a wildfire prevention tactic and not an electric grid issue. Dobbs said that during non-emergent wildfire prevention times, sections of line are shut down when there are three contacts in contrast to current conditions which will shut down a section of line with one contact.

While there have been many emergency alerts on the national, regional and local levels, all parties agree that the local grid is in great shape and can endure the current climate. There are plenty of safeguards in place and, if necessary, conservation may be the best bet to ensure rolling blackouts don’t hit Big Horn County.