America’s Power responds to NERC long-term reliability assessment

NERC, as the entity responsible for assuring the reliability of the North American electricity grid, examined the impact of retirements of large baseload power generators (coal and nuclear) and the rise of variable energy resources (wind and solar) as part of a changing electric grid. NERC’s forecast found that without action by policymakers, the potential exists for electric generation shortfalls in some areas in the country over the next several years and bluntly stated that “… to ensure reliability during the transition to greater reliance on wind and solar resources, emerging resource and energy adequacy issues must be addressed.”

America’s Power issued the following statement by Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO: “NERC’s work to forecast the risks to the reliability of the electric grid is another important wake-up call for decision-makers involved with managing the transitioning electric grid. NERC’s forecast warns of the increasing risk for generation short-falls as the grid continues to transition. However, we believe the reliability risks are greater because there could be an additional 30 000 MW or more of coal retirements beyond those that NERC assumed in its analysis.”

“That’s why we continue to be concerned about the impacts of accelerated coal retirements on grid reliability,” concluded Blood-worth.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/power/22122020/americas-power-responds-to-nerc-long-term-reliability-assessment/