Today’s LiveWire Spotlight examines NERC’s 2022 Long-Term Reliability Assessment — their latest review of BPS reliability, adequacy, and security evaluation over the ten-year planning horizon. The assessment offers four key findings that could substantially change the way Bulk Power System planning and operations are managed in the long-term including (1) resource adequacy threats in MISO, Ontario and California; (2) the risk of energy deficits and load losses all across WECC; (3) extreme weather imperiling Texas, California, and the U.S. Northwest; and (4) added uncertainty as the resource mix change accelerate.
The tone of RAS’ 2022 Long-Term Reliability Assessment reflects skepticism that so many concurrent BES risks driven by massive change can be handled. In fact, they recommend a slow-down in fossil-fuel retirements – an option not even considered in previous analyses.