Blackouts are among the worst things that can happen to electric utilities, particularly when customers are freezing in the dark for long periods. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently observed, “Any blackout imposes profound effects upon industry, business, community, and life, which would be compounded during an extreme cold weather event.” Getting generating units back in service soon should be a utility priority, in lingo: “blackstart.”
A FERC press release noted, “In contrast to most large generating plants, which need electricity to start up, a blackstart resource is designed to start up without support from the grid. These resources are critical to restoring electric service in event of a total blackout.”
In 2021 in Texas, during Winter Storm Uri, blackstart was a major problem, with some 200 deaths. The state’s enormous natural gas industry and its critical electric utility system failed to cooperate and coordinate during a massive blackout, exacerbating the economic and personal impacts of utility failures.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff addressed blackstart coordination between gas and electric systems during Uri in a 55-page study released at the commission’s final 2023 meeting Tuesday (Dec. 19). At a press conference following the meeting, FERC Chairman Willie Phillips said the recommendations can also inform energy systems outside the state-wide transmission system. FERC is doing a similar analysis for the massive PJM electric system in the East and Mid-Atlantic states.
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