North Arkansas Electric Cooperative received orders Feb. 16 and Feb. 17 by the regional transmission organization Midcontinent Independent System Operator to prepare to shed load. Although NAEC was not required to start rolling temporary outages, the co-op could be ordered to shed load again before this period of below-freezing temperatures across multiple states ends.
“The next two days will be critical as temperatures fall into the single digits,” NAEC CEO Mel Coleman said. “We hope we do not have to begin temporary outages, but we want our members to be prepared in case.”
If rolling outages are required, they should be for one-hour periods and would rotate geographic areas.
NAEC has no control over this process and likely will receive little notice if required to shed load. If that happens, NAEC will attempt to notify affected members through its Facebook and Twitter accounts, naeci.com and local media as soon as possible.
“Members can help by postponing or limiting non-essential tasks, such as running the dishwasher or dyer, until temperatures rise,” Coleman said. “We want members to be comfortable in their homes, but keeping the thermostat a little lower than usual also will help lower demand.”
MISO is an independent organization that operates the bulk power transmission system across 15 states from Louisiana to Minnesota and Canadian province of Manitoba.
North Arkansas Electric Cooperative serves 37,000 active accounts throughout seven counties. The cooperative’s headquarters is located in Salem, and full-service offices are located in Ash Flat and Mountain Home. For more information, visit www.naeci.com or call 870-895-3221.
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