KMEA members generate during Energy Emergency Alert 1 event
On August 26th, effective at 12:30 p.m., the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) announced an Energy Emergency Alert Level 1 (EEA 1) due to the forecast of high peak loads caused by high temperatures, an increase in resource outages, and low output from wind and other variable energy resources (also known as a low VER forecast) leading into the peak hours for the day. An EEA 1 declaration does not require the public to conserve energy and does not indicate that SPP will be directing controlled service outages. Instead, an EEA 1 is an indication that while SPP has enough generation available to meet demand and fulfill its reserve obligations, conditions exist that could put reserves at risk if they worsen.
Once notified, the KMEA 24-hour Operations group relayed the grid condition to all KMEA cities via email and additionally began contacting by phone all cities with non-registered generation to make them aware of the possibilities of dispatches. All of our registered generation was either online or dispatched for future hours of the day.