The Southwest Power Pool, responsible for coordinating electric reliability in a 17-state area in the central and western United States, projects the availability of enough generation to meet growing energy needs this summer.
“Reliability remains SPP’s top priority as we prepare for the summer season across the footprint,” said SPP Vice President of Operations C.J. Brown. “We have been planning and coordinating closely with our member utilities to prepare for periods of increased demand and operational challenges that are normal during the hottest months. We remain confident in our ability to keep the lights on for our member utilities and the 20 million people they serve through the summer.”
To project grid capacity for meeting demand, SPP conducts an assessment each year to identify and mitigate threats to energy reliability during the summer season lasting from June to September.
“Forecasts indicate the potential for higher-than-normal temperatures and drought conditions across parts of our region,” said SPP meteorologist Jeff Baskin. “Temperatures are expected to be near or slightly above average, with near normal to somewhat below average rainfall. SPP continuously monitors weather data and takes aggressive action to mitigate any risk to reliability caused by extreme heat.”
More details regarding the summer forecast, reliability assessment, and general emergency preparedness were shared during the Summer 2026 Readiness Forecast and Emergency Communications Net Conference on May 11. See the slides from the webinar for more detail.
If conditions change and threaten reliability, SPP will communicate with members, stakeholders and the public through the grid notice email distribution list and social media, it noted.
