New Orleans was plunged into darkness on Sunday afternoon when the region’s grid operator cut off power to reduce usage, a “last resort” measure to prevent a large-scale blackout, according to Nola.com, a local news outlet. [emphasis, links added]
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), a major electrical grid operator, directed the energy company Entergy to reduce power with only three minutes’ notice to prevent a blackout, affecting nearly 100,000 customers, according to NOLA.com.
Power was fully restored after several hours, although concerns about the power grid’s reliability remain, as President Donald Trump’s administration, energy policy experts, and multiple North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reports have signaled that MISO is at an elevated risk of blackouts, due in part to the phasing out of coal-fired power plants.
“The forced outages were directed by MISO as a last resort, and done in order to prevent a more extensive, prolonged power outage that could severely affect the reliability of the power grid,” Entergy said in a Sunday statement.
“How does this happen?” New Orleans City Council member Joe Giarrusso told NOLA.com. “There are lots of questions that need answering.”
Giarrusso and fellow New Orleans City Council member Helena Moreno stated that MISO warned Entergy of the outage just three minutes before turning off the power, although the reason for the short notice was unclear, according to NOLA.com.
The blackouts affected approximately 100,000 customers in and around New Orleans, according to 4WWL, a local CBS affiliate.
Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis, whose district includes New Orleans, said that one Entergy generator was offline for scheduled maintenance when a second generator supplying the region also failed, the outlet reported.
Lewis noted that the power demand exceeded projections at the time and added that he was unsure as to whether the second generator was operated by Entergy or Cleco.
Two days before the blackouts, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright ordered MISO to ensure that the J.H. Campbell coal-fired power plant in West Olive, Michigan, continues to operate to prevent potential capacity shortages that could cause power outages.
“This administration will not sit back and allow dangerous energy subtraction policies to threaten the resiliency of our grid and raise electricity prices on American families,” Wright said Friday.
“With President Trump’s leadership, the Energy Department is hard at work securing the American people [have] access to affordable, reliable, and secure energy that powers their lives regardless of whether the wind is blowing or the sun is shining.”
The MISO grid powers portions of 15 Midwestern states and has reduced its reliance on readily available energy sources such as gas, coal, or nuclear power, opting instead to pursue solar and wind resources to meet demand.
This exchange is a driving factor of its potential risk, according to NERC.
“MISO’s capacity resource turnover continues to occur with coal unit contributions being primarily replaced by solar, wind, and battery facilities. Furthermore, generation installation delays result in uncertainty throughout the assessment timeframe,” the December 2024 NERC grid reliability assessment reads.
“As a result of these factors, MISO is facing capacity shortfalls beginning in 2025.”
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