Resources to be adequate says NERC 2004 Reliability Assessment

NERC recently released its 2004 Summer Assessment which provides an independent assessment of projected electricity supply and demand in North America for 2004 summer season.

"NERC expects generating resources to be adequate to meet projected demand for electricity in North America this summer," he said . "NERC and the industry have taken a number of key steps to improve reliability in the wake of last summer's blackout. If all entities comply with NERC reliability standards, then there should be no uncontrolled blackouts."

According to the the assessment, transmission systems in North America are expected to perform reliably, even though transmission congestion is expected to occur in some areas again this summer.

NERC also reports that fuel supplies, inventories, and deliveries are expected to be adequate. However, "situations" could occur if unanticipated equipment problems and extremely hot weather combine where demands could temporarily exceed available generation and transmission capacity.

"In some local areas noted in the report, system operators may need to implement controlled demand reductions to maintain the constant balance between supply and demand needed to ensure overall bulk electric system reliability," according to the NERC Press Release.

The 2004 peak demand for electricity is projected to increase 2.5% compared to the actual 2003 noncoincident summer peak. Projected demand growth varies widely among the regions; some expect significant increases in their peak demand for the summer while others project declines.

The report can be downloaded at: http://www.nerc.com/~filez/rasreports.html. The NERC website includes other information about reliability standards, publications, technical committees, and related programs and activities.

NERC is a self-regulated organization, appointed to ensure that the bulk electric system in North America is reliable, adequate, and secure.