Electric Service Interruptions Possible in Lakes Area this Summer

DETROIT LAKES (KDLM) – Detroit Lakes Public Utilities (DLPU) is warning Lakes Area customers of the potential for electric service interruptions this summer.

Projections of energy shortages during the summer of 2022 have been made by both the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) and the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). Summer peak electrical needs are projected to be 124 gigawatts, while projected available generation is only 119 gigawatts.

“Traditional power plants across the U.S. are being retired or taken-out-of-service due to environmental concerns, more quickly than they can be replaced with renewable energy,” said a news release from DLPU.

MISO is coordinating with member utilities like DLPU and other grid operators to arrange electrical imports from neighboring regions and preparing to call upon emergency resources to meet the 2022 summer peak demand. “This may mean that DLPU and other members in the MISO footprint will be called upon to run their local generation. It may even mean that members will be asked to reduce electrical consumption or take outages to support the reliability of the grid,” said Vernell Roberts, General Manager of Detroit Lakes Public Utilitites.

DLPU plans to provide as much notice as possible of actions that may be required during any potential Energy Emergency Alert.