The North American Electric Reliability Corporation on Dec. 31 said it was monitoring the extreme cold weather events forecast across much of North America in January.
“This extreme weather pattern of arctic cold is expected to bring extremely low temperatures, damaging winds, snow, and freezing rain to midwestern, eastern, and southern states, with the potential to create significant challenges. There could be a series of successive events that could create challenges for those reliant on inventoried fuels,” it said.
“NERC urges everyone in the electricity supply chain to take steps now to ensure the highest levels of reliability. NERC is especially concerned about natural gas supply given the significant amount of production in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.”
NERC also posted remarks by Jim Robb, NERC President and CEO, about the announcement.
NERC works with industry stakeholders to prepare for and mitigate the potential impacts of such significant weather events, and its comprehensive approach includes mandatory Cold Weather Reliability Standards, guidelines on cold weather preparations, follow-up on Winter Storm Elliott recommendations, alerts, industry webinars, and the publication of seasonal assessments.
