East River Power Cooperative Update 02/18/2021 at 6:25 PM
We are back in an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1. Please continue to conserve energy & reduce the demands on the power system. We will provide updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience through this event.
East River Power Cooperative Update 02/18/2021 at 10:30 AM
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) is no longer under an energy emergency alert. However, due to continuing high loads and other implications of severe cold weather, all SPP members, including our East River Electric cooperative territory, remains in a period of energy conservation efforts and reduced usage until 10 p.m. on Feb. 20. Thank you for your patience through this event. We appreciate everyone doing their part to conserve energy.
East River Power Cooperative Update 02/18/2021 at 8:30 AM
Overnight, SPP downgraded their Energy Emergency Alert from a Level 2 to a Level 1. Thank you for your continued efforts to conserve energy and reduce the demands on the power system. The demand on the electric system is expected to remain high through noon today. Please continue to conserve energy until the energy alert is completely removed. We will provide additional information and updates as it becomes available.
East River Power Cooperative Update 02/17/2021 at 7:00 PM
The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2 and the alert will remain in effect until further notice. Please continue to conserve energy and reduce the demands on the power system. We will provide additional information and updates as it becomes available. The demand on the electric system is expected to remain high through noon on Thursday. Thank you for your patience through this event and your trust in our cooperative family.
East River Power Cooperative Update 02/17/2021 at 4:00 PM
East River’s system remained at full operation today with no outages initiated through the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). This afternoon, SPP downgraded their Energy Emergency Alert from a Level 2 to a Level 1. While this is encouraging news, we are still requesting that consumers conserve energy and reduce the demands on the power system until the energy alert is completely removed. We will provide additional information and updates as it becomes available. The demand on the electric system is expected to remain high through noon on Thursday. Thank you for your patience through this event and your trust in our cooperative family.
Updated 02/17/2021 at 8:00 AM
Update from East River Power Cooperative
We’d like to again thank you all for your patience yesterday as we worked through the emergency rolling power outages that were initiated through the Southwest Power Pool. East River’s system continues to remain at full operation this morning, with no outages initiated through SPP. However, SPP is currently at an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2, which means that consumers are asked to conserve energy and reduce the demands on the power system. Again, SPP may cycle back up to a Level 3 at any time, meaning a possible return to rolling power outages due to continued extreme cold temperatures across their system. We will provide additional information and updates as it becomes available. The demand on the electric system is expected to remain high through noon on Thursday. Please conserve energy where you can and be prepared for possible controlled interruptions to your electric power supply. Again, thank you for your patience through this event and your trust in our cooperative family.
Updated 02/16/2021 at 1:18 PM
Current Grid Conditions
As of 12:31 p.m. Central time, SPP has downgraded the energy emergency alert (EEA) to a Level 1. This is declared when all available resources have been committed to meet obligations, and SPP is at risk of not meeting required operating reserves.
SPP previously declared a move from EEA Level 3 to EEA Level 2 at 11:30 a.m. Central time.
SPP’s forecasts anticipate that due to high load and persistent cold weather, it is likely its system will fluctuate between EEA levels over the next 48 hours.
While SPP works to maintain regional reliability, we continue to urge our member companies to instruct consumers across our service territory to conserve electricity at home and work, and to follow their local utility’s directions regarding safety, conservation, and potential outages.
Updated: 02/16/2021 at 11:00 AM
EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGE UPDATE
As of 10 a.m., all power to the Watertown area has been restored by WAPA. The only current outage on East River’s system is in the Roswell area affecting Central Electric. Again, this is an emergency, quickly changing situation.
Due to the current widespread and extreme cold weather conditions, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) declared an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Level 3 this morning, which means that generating capacity has dropped below demand for electricity. Due to the emergency alert, East River Electric is expecting outages of up to an hour that will be on a rolling basis this morning. This is a regionwide event, meaning consumers of multiple utilities are affected.
Here is a full recap of the morning’s events on East River’s system:
6:54 a.m.: The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), which is the Transmission Operator for our region, was directed by SPP to take an outage of about 200 megawatts.
6:57 a.m.: WAPA de-energized substations in parts of western Minnesota impacting about 2,000 members of Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative and City of Tyler customers.
7:00 a.m.: WAPA de-energized substations serving Southeastern Electric customers in the Viborg, Hurley and Menno areas impacting about 2,200 consumers in that area.
7:28 a.m.: WAPA directed by SPP to de-energize another 200 megawatts, so they de-energized substations serving Sioux Valley Energy members on the east side of Sioux Falls, including Brandon – totaling about 6,300 consumers.
7:52 a.m.: WAPA restored power to the substations served from Fodness.
7:54 a.m.: Substations near the Redfield, Cresbard and Mansfield areas de-energized, affecting about 1,400 FEM Electric and Northern Electric consumers. WAPA restored power to substations in the Viborg, Hurley and Menno areas to Southeastern Electric consumers.
8:12 a.m.: WAPA restored power on the Ivanhoe substation serving Lyon-Lincoln Electric and opened breaker at Watertown, affecting 4 substations and about 1,400 Codington-Clark customers.
8:41 a.m.: WAPA restored power to the Maple Street substation in the Sioux Falls area.
9:10 a.m.: WAPA opened Letcher breakers affecting the Roswell substation in Central Electric’s area and restored power to the remaining 6 substations serving Sioux Falls.
9:45 a.m.: WAPA restored power to all substations in the Redfield area affecting Northern Electric consumers.
10 a.m.: All power to the Watertown area restored by WAPA. The only outage currently on East River’s system is in the Roswell area affecting Central Electric.
Updated: 02/16/2021 at 8:44 AM
EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGE UPDATE:
As we’ve been reporting the past few days, due to the current widespread and extreme cold weather conditions, the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has been experiencing extreme demands on the power grid. This morning, SPP declared an Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) Level 3 which means that generating capacity has dropped below demand for electricity. This is resulting in current rolling outages across East River Electric’s service area. This is a regionwide event, meaning consumers of multiple utilities are affected by this event. SPP is a regional transmission organization that oversees the bulk electric grid and wholesale power market in the central United States on behalf of a diverse group of utilities and transmission companies in 17 states. East River Electric Power Cooperative is a transmission owner in SPP, which means that all cooperative consumers in our region are affected by this event.
Here is the information that we are able to provide at this time regarding impacts to East River’s system: The Western Area Power Administration which is the Transmission Operator for our region was directed by SPP to take an outage at 7:00 a.m. this morning of about 200 megawatts. They de-energized substations in parts of western Minnesota impacting about 2,000 members of Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative and City of Tyler customers. Around the same time they also de-energized substations serving Southeastern Electric customers in the Viborg, Hurley and Menno areas impacting about 2,200 consumers in that area. Then at 7:30 a.m. they were directed to de-energize another 200 megawatts, so they de-energized substations serving Sioux Valley Energy members on the east side of Sioux Falls – totaling about 5,700 consumers.
The Redfield, Cresbard and Mansfield areas were de-energized just before 8:00 a.m. affecting FEM Electric and Northern Electric consumers.
The Viborg, Hurley and Menno areas were back on before 8:00 a.m.
We’re expecting outages of up to an hour that will be on a rolling basis this morning. This is an emergency, quickly changing situation. We will continue to provide updates as they are available. Please do your part to conserve electricity.