MISO outages raise questions over high October power prices
Maintaining sufficient generation while avoiding congestion is a tricky endeavor, and Platts reports that in one of MISO’s regions, there is concern that power plants may not face sufficient penalties to keep the region’s grid operating efficiently.
Over the summer the grid operator and the Organization of MISO States released their third annual resource adequacy survey, finding adequate capacity for 2017 with potential shortages in 2018 and beyond due to plant retirements. The assessment showed the region should be able to meet peak demand next year, with an adequate safety margin. A surplus of 2.7 GW is available, but the grid operator warned that amount could be reduced to 900 MW if recently-announced Southern Illinois generation retirements occur.
For 2018, MISO’s presentation shows a potential shortfall of 400 MW, depending on resources available, with a 2.6 GW reserve shortfall possible by 2021.
