The US is preparing for a hellish, torrid BlackOut summer.

Tens of millions of Americans could be catapulted into a hellish summer as a mega drought, heatwaves and reduced energy production could trigger widespread power blackouts from the Great Lakes to the west coast, according to Bloomberg, citing a new report from North America Electric. Reliability Corporation (NERC), a regulatory body that manages grid stability.

The NERC has warned that power supplies in the western United States could be strained this summer as a historic drought reduces hydroelectric power production due to declining dam levels in what should be an unusually hot summer. . Combining the infernal weather scenario with the dismantling of fossil fuel power plants, due to the supposed climate impact, and the inability to generate new green energy, such as solar, wind and batteries, in a stable way, creates the ideal conditions for large power outages. when the demand exceeds the offer.

The regulator pointed out that supply chain problems are delaying major Southwest solar projects, while some coal-fired power plants are struggling to procure supplies due to increased exports, not to mention the possibility of cyberattacks. from the outside.

By region, the Midwest's power grid will be in dire straits from production shortages. In the western United States, power generation capacity has decreased by 2.3% since last summer, although demand is expected to increase. This will require a strong interconnection between networks, but it is not necessarily sufficient. A low wind speed situation could trigger blackouts, according to NERC.

The NERC issued a similar warning last year, stating that power grids serving 40% of the US population were at risk of blackouts. In fact, last June there was only one notable blackout during a heatwave in the Pacific Northwest that left 9,000 customers without electricity. But with reduced electricity generation capacity outpacing new green energy sources, the risks of blackouts are increasing.

In Texas, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has already warned multiple times of grid stress as early summer heatwaves sent temperatures in parts of the state into triple-digit territory.

California grid operators have also warned of growing blackout threats for the next three summers as the state shifts to greener forms of energy. Drought and shrinking reservoir levels have reduced hydroelectric power generation in addition to decommissioned fossil fuel power plants. "We know reliability will be difficult in this transition period," Alice Reynolds, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, said at a May 6 press conference.

The NERC report opens the eyes of those living in the western United States American families soon risk experiencing the thrill of living in developing countries, such as Venezuela. Who knows if they will be happy.

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The article The US prepares for a hellish, scorching BlackOut summer. comes from ScenariEconomici.it .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/gli-usa-si-preparano-a-uninfernale-torrida-estate-di-blackout/ on Fri, 20 May 2022 12:38:46 +0000.