State, utilities announce power notification system Tom Meersman Star Tribune Tuesday, June 19, 2001

Minnesotans have become accustomed to weather watches and warnings when severe storms cross the state. Now a similar system has been devised for possible electricity shortages.

On Monday, the state Department of Commerce and a coalition of electricity utilities announced a new statewide warning system to notify residents when demand for power is high and shortages might develop.

"Minnesota is not facing an energy crisis," said Commerce Commissioner Jim Bernstein. "But there have been and will be times when the regional power grid is stretched to the limit."

Minnesota utilities, cooperatives and municipally owned utilities have more than enough power, he said. But there is always the possibility of temporary shortages in the Upper Midwest.

A combination of hot weather, storms that damage power lines, unexpected plant shutdowns and unusual conditions elsewhere in the country could lead to such shortages, Bernstein said.

In those situations, which Bernstein said might only occur once or twice every five years, Minnesotans should be forewarned so that they can choose to reduce their electricity consumption.

Under the new system, utilities and state officials will meet if it appears that electricity use will be unusually high and that supplies might be in jeopardy. If utilities voted that it was necessary, the Commerce Department would issue a "peak power watch," indicating that the electrical system was nearing its limits to transmit power.

As part of the watch, the state also would provide news releases and other information to the news media to remind Minnesotans to turn off unnecessary appliances or make other simple changes to reduce the risk of shortages for the entire state.

If the situation became more serious, and it appeared that demand for power would exceed the supply, federal officials would issue a "peak power warning," based in large part on utilities' recommendations. In that case, the situation would be a regional emergency with the possibility of power outages, and Minnesotans would be asked to take immediate action to reduce electricity consumption.

Bernstein said that if the system is used, it would probably be in the summer, when demand for electricity peaks in the state. However, he said it could be used at any time if utilities were somehow to lose major transmission lines and key power plants.

Kevin Lawless, managing director of retail services for Xcel Energy Corp., said that when the weather gets hot, many utilities have conservation programs to reduce peak demand. Xcel has more than 250,000 customers in a Saver Switch program who allow the utility to cycle their home air conditioning systems on and off, he said, and many businesses with backup power systems that have agreed to allow the utility to interrupt their normal power under certain conditions.

Lawless said the new system of peak power watches and warnings will be used only after those conservation programs had already been implemented, and only when the transmission line system used by utilities is at 95 percent or more of its capacity.

Lawless also said it would take an unusually hot summer, in addition to several other problems occurring simultaneously, to require peak power watches. "[Utilities] probably wouldn't in a normal summer even call a watch," he said. "But maybe once every three or five years we might."

The only situation in recent years that might have resulted in a peak power watch occurred in summer 1998, Bernstein said, when two of Xcel's large transmission lines were damaged by storms in two parts of the utility's power line system. That incident did not result in blackouts in Minnesota, he said.

In addition to the new notification system, Bernstein said, the Commerce Department will work on a state energy plan during the next six months. Among other things, he said, the plan will identify the anticipated need for electricity during the next decade, including where power lines and electricity-generating plants -- using traditional means, wind or other sources -- might be built to meet those needs.

-- Tom Meersman is at meersman@startribune.com .

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-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), June 18, 2001