PJM extended a Cold Weather Alert to Tuesday and Wednesday for the ComEd region following a Cold Weather Alert issued for most of the western PJM region for Sunday and Monday.
The alert expiring Feb. 8 applies to the following transmission zones: American Electric Power, American Municipal Power Transmission, ComEd, Cleveland Public Power, Dayton Power & Light, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky, FirstEnergy – Allegheny Power Systems, FirstEnergy – American Transmission Systems, Inc., ITC Interconnection LLC, and Ohio Valley Electric Corporation.
A Cold Weather Alert prepares personnel and facilities for expected extreme cold weather conditions, when actual temperatures fall near or below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the western portion of the PJM footprint is forecast to emerge from extreme lows after Monday, while forecasts call for single-digit temperatures in the ComEd zone in northern Illinois on Tuesday and Wednesday.
PJM communicates with generator owners and directs them to be prepared to call in additional staff to get generating units running as morning load rises. They must take extra care to maintain equipment so that it does not freeze. During a Cold Weather Alert, PJM may also cancel or postpone planned maintenance outages in order to ensure availability of sufficient resources.
Monday’s forecast peak load for PJM is expected to be around 118,000 megawatts.
PJM’s forecast winter peak demand is around 136,000 MW, and expects to have 186,000 MW of resources available to meet it. PJM’s all-time winter peak record of 143,434 MW was set on Feb. 20, 2015.
How PJM Prepares for Cold Weather
PJM works with members to prepare for cold weather by testing resources, conducting drills and surveying generators for fuel inventory. PJM’s preparation checklist includes everything from increasing staffing for weather emergencies, maintenance activities and ensuring equipment is ready for winter conditions.
As part of regular winter operations, PJM closely coordinates with natural gas supply and transportation across the region. In addition, PJM also studies unforeseen impacts of possible pipeline service disruptions and subsequent effect on generators, and has found that there are no associated reliability concerns this winter. Learn more about how PJM prepares for winter conditions on the PJM Learning Center. Track grid conditions in real time with the PJM Now app on iOS and Android.
Original source: PJM
