AESO put province on ’emergency reserves’ for 2nd day in a row
Posted Sep 28, 2022 7:42 pm.
Last Updated Sep 29, 2022 1:13 pm.
The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) once again asked Albertans to ease their use of electricity as the province was back on “emergency reserves” Wednesday.
AESO, the province’s electrical power grid operator, implemented a level three emergency energy alert Tuesday evening, but rescinded it a couple of hours later.
However, this new alert went into place at 4:18 p.m., and AESO says the province will use the emergency reserves to “maintain system reliability.”
READ MORE: Alberta electric operator puts province on ’emergency reserves’
The AESO issued a Grid Alert at 4:18 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 28. Emergency reserves are being used to maintain system reliability.
Find information on Grid Alerts here: https://t.co/eQAHOzfzgI— AESO (@theAESO) September 28, 2022
AESO’s website states that grid alerts pop up for multiple reasons, including cold or hot weather, time of day and wind conditions, “unplanned generation facility outages,” and “other factors” that go beyond the transmission of power and the generation facility owners’ control. This can include lightning and downed power lines.
As a result, Albertans were asked to reduce their electricity use during the grid alert to help reduce the possibility of more serious emergency measures to balance the system.
However, they were quick to declare the grid system under control.
We’ve returned to normal grid conditions and will keep you updated if anything changes. Thank you to our System Controllers for all your great work! Check out our website at https://t.co/zs9CTQBUCl for a fact sheet on How the Grid is Operated. pic.twitter.com/LTB2Kxbryw
— AESO (@theAESO) September 28, 2022
In a statement, AESO told CityNews that the province was experiencing multiple issues that were impacting the power grid.
“We have had very tight grid conditions today due to low wind availability, high demand as a result of the hot weather, the planned outage of the B.C.– AB intertie, and an unplanned generator outage,” said a AESO representative in a statement.
AESO ended the alert because the “intertie returned to service.”
With a grid alert, the provincial operator says it can use emergency reserves, reduce or suspend exports or energy sales, cancel transmission maintenance, and implement “voluntary curtailment programs,” which is where AESO asks people to reduce their energy use to predetermined levels.
The grid operator says it can also “initiate temporary rotating power outages.”
The provincial power operator hasn’t said what has caused the need for a sudden grid alert, or why more than one has been issued in the span of two days.
