Washington, D.C. — Yesterday, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its “2020 Long-Term Reliability Assessment” examining the issues, trends and potential risks that could impact the reliability of the electric grid over the next decade. NERC, as the entity responsible for assuring the reliability of the North American electricity grid, examined the impact of retirements of large baseload power generators (coal and nuclear) and the rise of variable energy resources (wind and solar) as part of a changing electric grid. NERC’s forecast found that without action by policymakers, the potential exists for electric generation shortfalls in some areas in the country over the next several years and bluntly stated that “… to ensure reliability during the transition to greater reliance on wind and solar resources, emerging resource and energy adequacy issues must be addressed.”
America’s Power issued the following statement by Michelle Bloodworth, President and CEO:
“NERC’s work to forecast the risks to the reliability of the electric grid is another important wake-up call for decision-makers involved with managing the transitioning electric grid. NERC’s forecast warns of the increasing risk for generation shortfalls as the grid continues to transition. However, we believe the reliability risks are greater because there could be an additional 30,000 MW or more of coal retirements beyond those that NERC assumed in its analysis” said Bloodworth. “That’s why we continue to be concerned about the impacts of accelerated coal retirements on grid reliability,” concluded Bloodworth.
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America’s Power is a partnership of industries involved in producing electricity from coal.