We appreciate our customers for patience and cooperation during rolling blackouts on February 15 & 16.
Wednesday, February 24, 2021
Customers and friends:
Last week, extreme weather conditions from Texas to North Dakota created a crisis unlike any other we have experienced here in Nebraska. We are all familiar with power outages caused by blizzards, ice storms and tornadoes. But never before have winter conditions led to planned outages for SPPD customers.
On February 15th and 16th, emergency action was implemented by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP)–a regional transmission organization responsible for monitoring and controlling a multi-state electric grid from North Dakota to Northern Texas. The SPP is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure the region has a reliable supply of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices.
On February 15th by the direction of SPP, rolling blackouts of 30-90 minutes in duration were implemented by our wholesale power supplier, NPPD, affecting our customers shortly after noon that day. The first customers impacted included most of Franklin County and a portion of Merrick County. The blackouts continued through the following day and impacted customers throughout all seven counties in our service region.
During that time, SPP transitioned through varying emergency alert levels, with all levels asking for efforts to conserve energy. We realize that the weather conditions during this time-period were not ideal for energy conservation, but we were very impressed by the cooperation and understanding of our customers. The effort by our residential and general service customers to turn down thermostats, turn off lights and unplug non-essential items made a difference. Several of our large industrial customers also assisted by curtailing their power usage. This event required the efforts of many and we feel that our customers came through!
We want to take this opportunity to thank you, our valued customers and friends, for your cooperation through this highly unusual event. Your understanding of the situation and the patience you demonstrated through this crisis was greatly appreciated.
Southern Public Power District
Management Team
