6 days ago
Entergy, grid operator promise earlier warnings after Memorial Day weekend outages
New Orleanians could get earlier warnings before the next rolling blackout, according to Entergy and the regional grid operator — a change prompted by the widespread Memorial Day weekend outages.
Why it matters: Utilities knew the grid was strained for at least 48 hours but didn't tell the public until the AC went out for about 100,000 customers on a hot holiday weekend.
The big picture: The May 25 event was an "extremely rare" transmission emergency, not a capacity issue, said Todd Hillman, senior VP and chief customer officer at Midcontinent Independent System Operator.
Speaking to the New Orleans City Council on Tuesday, Hillman likened the agency to air traffic controllers for the power grid.
There was enough power elsewhere, he said, but they couldn't get it to metro New Orleans to meet the demand. (MISO's full explanation)
To prevent outages spreading throughout the region, MISO told Entergy and Cleco to cut power by specific amounts within 30 minutes.
Entergy operators in Jackson, Mississippi, used models to select neighborhoods for the outage. (Timeline from Entergy New Orleans)
How it works: New Orleans is in a "pocket" in MISO's system, which makes it more difficult to get power to the area.
Think of the transmission lines like bridges accessing an island, Hillman said. When only two of the three bridges are working, traffic is limited.
MISO has done transmission line improvements elsewhere in its system, but there's a bottleneck in south Louisiana.
Improvement projects are still in the planning phases, MISO reps said Tuesday.
Friction point: Industrial customers use 70% of the state's power, according to Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, who was in council chambers Tuesday for the committee meeting.
"I feel that there has been a priority by our utilities in favor of industrial customers at the expense of residential and commercial," Lewis said. "I think we have to have a big conversation about that."
Stunning stat: Louisiana's electricity customers experience more than 12 times as many hours of power outages than the national average, writes Axios' Chelsea Brasted.
What we're watching: New Orleans is working on ways to make itself more sustainable during power outages.
It has the Community Lighthouse project, and the council is looking at microgrids and virtual power plants.
These would use a network of solar panels and battery storage systems to serve as a backup to the grid if it goes down or there's a strain. Go deeper.
Council President JP Morrell tells Axios he expects the council to make a decision this year about the virtual power plants.
Zoom out: More communication has been an ongoing theme in recent council meetings.
Members want to get information to the public sooner, especially through the NOLA Ready text system.
Examples: The jail outbreak and neutral ground parking.
What's next: The Louisiana Public Service Commission will hear from MISO and Entergy Louisiana at its June 18 meeting about the power outages and the transmission situation.
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