Residents in parts of north central Nebraska are being asked to conserve electricity this weekend as the Nebraska Public Power District warns that high energy demand could lead to temporary service interruptions on Sunday.
NPPD says the concern is not a lack of electricity generation but rather the ability of the area’s transmission system to deliver enough power during periods of peak demand. If electricity use exceeds what the transmission system can safely handle, utilities may temporarily interrupt service to some customers to reduce demand and protect the grid.
The areas most affected include Brown, Keya Paha, Rock, Holt and Boyd counties. While much of the region is served by NPPD wholesale customers, the utility provides retail electric service in Ainsworth, Anoka, Atkinson, Bassett, Butte, Bristow, Emmet, Inman, Long Pine, Lynch and O’Neill.
NPPD emphasized that any service interruptions, if needed, could be carried out either by the district or by other public power providers serving the area.
The utility is encouraging customers to voluntarily reduce electricity use throughout the weekend. Suggested conservation measures include raising thermostats by two to three degrees while leaving the system fan running, turning off unnecessary lights and electronics, avoiding the use of large appliances such as ovens and washing machines during peak hours, keeping curtains closed on sunny sides of the home, adjusting refrigerator and freezer temperatures to recommended settings, and lowering electric water heater temperatures to 120 degrees.
According to NPPD, two transmission projects currently under construction—the R-Project and the Ainsworth Wind-to-Bassett transmission line—are expected to improve the system’s ability to deliver electricity and help prevent similar situations in the future.
At this time, NPPD says it is uncertain whether service interruptions will be necessary but wanted customers to be aware of the possibility. The utility says it will provide updates if conditions change or if outages become necessary.
