Current Grid Conditions

Updated Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 9:50 a.m. CT

SPP is issuing a Resource Advisory for its entire Balancing Authority effective Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Tuesday, January 21, 2025, at 11:00 p.m. CT.

• Resource Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities.
  
  
• This Resource Advisory is being declared due to forecasted extreme cold temperatures, and the potential for higher than normal demand for electricity and resource outage uncertainty.  
  
  
• Individuals should contact their local utility for details specific to their area.
  
  
• Generation and transmission operators have been provided instructions on applicable procedures, including reporting any limitations, fuel shortages or concerns.
  
  
• To mitigate risks to reliability associated with these factors, SPP may use greater unit commitment notification timeframes, including making commitments before standard day-ahead market procedures and/or committing resources in reliability status.
  
  
• SPP will send additional information if necessary.

This Resource Advisory is in addition to the previously declared Weather Advisory, which will be effective Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 3:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Tuesday, January 21, at 6:00 p.m. CT. Resource and Weather Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy. 

_____
Previously updated: Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 4:05 p.m. CT

SPP is issuing a Weather Advisory for its entire Balancing Authority effective Sunday, January 19, 2025, at 3:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Tuesday, January 21, at 6:00 p.m. CT.

• Weather Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities.
  
  
• This Weather Advisory is being issued due to predicted extreme cold temperatures, potential higher than normal demand for electricity, increased potential for gas interruptions and equipment failure.  
  
  
• Individuals should contact their local utility for details specific to their area.
  
  
• Generation and transmission operators have been provided instructions on applicable procedures, including reporting any limitations, fuel shortages or concerns.
  
  
• To mitigate risks to reliability associated with these factors, SPP may use greater unit commitment notification timeframes, including making commitments before standard day-ahead market procedures and/or committing resources in reliability status.
  
  
• SPP will send additional information if necessary.

_____
Previously Updated: Wednesday, January 2, 2025, at 9:20 p.m. CT

SPP is issuing a Resource Advisory for its entire Balancing Authority effective Monday, January 6, 2025, at 4:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT.

• Resource Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities.
  
  
• This Resource Advisory is being declared due to forecasted below average temperatures, potential for resource outages and reduction in wind output due to possible icing. 
  
  
• Generation and transmission operators have been provided instructions on applicable procedures, including reporting any limitations, fuel shortages or concerns.
  
  
• To mitigate risks to reliability associated with these factors, SPP may use greater unit commitment notification timeframes, including making commitments before standard day-ahead market procedures and/or committing resources in reliability status.
  
  
• SPP will send additional information if necessary.

This Resource Advisory is in addition to the previously declared Weather Advisory, which will be effective Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT. The Weather Advisory is being declared due to forecasted below average temperatures, potential for heavy snowfall and freezing rain in some areas, and higher-than-usual demand for electricity. Resource and Weather Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy. 

_____

Previously updated: Wednesday, January 2, 2025, at 11:45 a.m. CT

SPP is issuing a Weather Advisory for its entire Balancing Authority effective Sunday, January 5, 2025, at 12:00 a.m. CT until an anticipated end time of Wednesday, January 8, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. CT.

• Weather Advisories do not require the public to conserve energy, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities.
  
  
• The Weather Advisory is being declared due to forecasted below average temperatures, potential for heavy snowfall and freezing rain in some areas, and higher-than-usual demand for electricity.
  
  
• Individuals should contact their local utility for details specific to their area.
  
  
• Generation and transmission operators have been provided instructions on applicable procedures, including reporting any limitations, fuel shortages or concerns.
  
  
• To mitigate risks to reliability associated with these factors, SPP may use greater unit commitment notification timeframes, including making commitments before standard day-ahead market procedures and/or committing resources in reliability status.
  
  
• SPP will send additional information if necessary.

___________

Descriptions of common reliability events are provided below in increasing order of severity:

Advisories raise awareness and do not require general audiences to take action. SPP member utilities should follow applicable procedures. Energy Emergency Alerts indicate all available generation has been committed to meet region-wide demand. As conditions worsen, voluntary conservation or service interruptions may be necessary to prevent uncontrolled outages.

Normal Operations: SPP has enough generation to meet demand and available reserves, and it foresees no extreme or abnormal threats to reliability.

Weather Advisory: Declared when extreme weather is expected in SPP’s reliability coordination service territory.

Resource Advisory:  Declared when severe weather conditions, significant outages, wind-forecast uncertainty and/or load-forecast uncertainty are expected in SPP’s balancing authority area.

Conservative Operations Advisory:  Declared when SPP determines there is a need to operate its system conservatively based on weather, environmental, operational, terrorist, cyber or other events.

Energy Emergency Alert Level 1:  Declared when all available resources have been committed to meet obligations, and SPP is at risk of not meeting required operating reserves.

Energy Emergency Alert Level 2:  Declared when SPP can no longer provide expected energy requirements, or when SPP foresees or has implemented procedures up to, but excluding, service interruptions to maintain regional reliability. 

Energy Emergency Alert Level 3:  At this level, SPP is utilizing operating reserves such that it is carrying reserves below the required minimum and has initiated assistance through its Reserve Sharing Group. SPP foresees or has implemented firm load obligation interruption. Before requesting an EEA 3, SPP will have already provided the appropriate internal notifications to its Market Participants.

Restoration Event:  Defined as a major or catastrophic grid outage which could be a total or partial regional blackout, island situation or system separation.

To receive updates about changing grid conditions via email, subscribe to SPP's Grid Notice exploder: 

• Once logged into SPP.org, click the “Hi, [your name]” button in the top right of the screen to update your account preferences. (You may have to create an account if you don’t already have one.)
• In the list of available exploders, check the box next to the one named “Grid Notice.”
• Click “Submit” at the bottom of the form to save your changes.
• You can unsubscribe from this and other exploders at any time on the same account management page.