(Des Moines)– The Iowa Utilities Board has issued an order requiring utilities providing electrical service to submit information on how they plan to reduce load on peak usage days for the upcoming winter season, and how they would notify customers of that. The action follows a federal report issued last month that indicates a large portion of the North American Bulk Power System is at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions.
The analysis by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, or NERC, shows that in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO territory, reserve margins have dropped nearly 5 percent since last winter. MISO manages the generation and transmission of high-voltage electricity across 15 states, including Iowa.
The same analysis shows that the Southwest Power Pool, a regional transmission organization that also serves Iowa and neighboring states, could also be impacted.
The utilities have until December 14th to provide the requested information to the Iowa Utilities Board.
