FERC, NERC to Investigate Grid Operations During Recent Winter Storm

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
January 3, 2023

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and NERC’s Regional Entities in late December announced that they will open a joint inquiry into the operations of the bulk power system during the extreme winter weather conditions that occurred during Winter Storm Elliott.

The severe cold weather during the storm in December contributed to power outages affecting millions of electricity customers across the country, they noted.

FERC, NERC, and the Regional Entities will work with other federal agencies, states, and utilities to identify problems with the performance of the bulk power system and, where appropriate, recommended solutions for addressing those issues​.

“This storm underscores the increasing frequency of significant extreme weather events (the fifth major winter event in the last 11 years) and underscores the need for the electric sector to change its planning scenarios and preparations for extreme events,” said NERC President and CEO Jim Robb.

In its 2022-2023 winter reliability assessment, NERC said that a large portion of the North American bulk power system was at risk of insufficient electricity supplies this winter.