Association ( WVMA ). “ Preliminary indications show PJM underestimated demand , and the grid saw 23 % of its total capacity forced offline , including nearly 40 % of coal and nuclear generation .”
Haque says more than 70 % of all forced outages were from natural gas generators , whether due to equipment failure , weather-related issues or fuel supply problems .
According to Chris Hamilton , president of the West Virginia Coal Association , the existing coal plants were called upon to more than double their output during the December storm . Since extreme temperatures like those experienced in December put an immense strain on the grid , why didn ’ t PJM fail ?
“ Coal-based electric generation accounts for 21 % of the nation ’ s energy mix but accounted for 47 % of the additional power needed during the storm ,” says Hamilton . “ In the PJM market , coal plants provided 50 % of the additional energy needed during the cold temperature , despite being only 24 % of the installed capacity in the footprint of the RTO .”
Haque says numerous states and regions throughout the U . S . are not part of an RTO or similar entity known as an independent system operator ( ISO ).
“ These areas are served by individual utilities responsible for the reliability of their systems and regulated by respective state public utility commissions ,” he says .
While the exact cause of the generator outages is still being investigated , McPhail says this event confirmed three things : one , the importance of a balanced grid ; two , the need for pipeline infrastructure to better connect natural gas supply to demand ; and three , the need for additional natural gas power generation capacity .
“ Overreliance on a single power generation source is a risk for reliability , affordability and the means to reducing power sector emissions ,” she says . “ Expanding natural gas generation in West Virginia brings demand closer to supply , helps diversify West Virginia ’ s generation mix and brings added reliable , affordable and low-emissions capacity to PJM ’ s broader fuel mix .”
Although PJM has never experienced interruptions , if the grid would fail at
Photo by PJM . some point in the future , detrimental , long-lasting effects would occur . For example , a winter storm in Texas in February 2021 left the state ’ s grid , the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , or ERCOT , unable to perform and dozens of people lost their lives as a result of no electricity .
“ If the grid fails us , we will first experience planned rotating outages then rolling blackouts for a relatively short period before a total failure , which requires days , if not weeks , to correct ,” says Hamilton . “ Our culture , economy , health care and safety are so dependent on electricity that catastrophic consequences would result in just a few days .”
As for the many challenges facing PJM today , McPhail says that reliable and affordable energy are critical to manufacturing .
“ As large consumers of energy , dependability and cost are a significant factor in the success and profitability of our industry ,” she says . “ While West Virginia remains nearly 90 % powered by coal , other states in PJM are taking coal generation offline in favor of renewables and other forms of energy . West Virginia has the capacity to support the broader PJM grid and provide economic development and job opportunities for the state .”
However , to ensure a total grid failure never happens , Hamilton says that we should be wary to hasten a low-carbon economy .
“ We need to pause our rush to a zerocarbon economy and preserve our baseload electric generation assets until such a time that renewables and other energy forms can operate with stored power consistently under higher loads ,” he says . “ The system in West Virginia has in place a predominance of coalfired generation complimented with gas peaking plants and a small spread of wind generation that fits our state ’ s energy needs .”
According to Haque , PJM is fuel neutral — its mission is to keep power flowing and the lights on , and the markets will help determine the most cost-effective way to make that happen , without any favor to a particular technology or fuel type .
The retirement of thermal generators such as coal , oil or natural gas , whether driven by economics or state or federal
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