This summer, a record-breaking 58 GW of new resources will fortify the North American grid—if all goes to plan. (NERC)
That’s over 3X the growth heading into last summer. The difference this year: a “substantial influx” of solar, batteries, and new natural gas-fired generators.
Yes, but: Early summer heat, speedy large load growth, and low renewable output could still test regional operating limits. NPCC-New England, for example, faces tighter operating reserves due to falling firm import commitments.
Another but: Ongoing data center interconnection delays make precise demand forecasting tough…prompting NERC to explicitly warn of sudden "computational load disconnects.”