KNBN NewsCenter1
February 16, 2021
The scenario we hoped would NOT happen, has. The Southwestern Power Pool, which many electric utilities (including…
RAPID CITY, S.D. The West River Electric Association announced a rolling blackout for the Weston Heights area of Rapid City in a Facebook post Tuesday morning.
According to an update to the post, the blackout is due to an order from the Western Area Power Administration the direction of the Southwest Power Pool reliability coordinator. The Weston Heights substation was dropped for load control due to the extreme cold conditions from the borders of Texas to Canada.
WAPA has indicated to indicated to West River Electric that service will be restored by 8:30 a.m.
KNBN NewsCenter1
Local electricity providers say further blackouts possible but not likely
February 16, 2021
RAPID CITY, S.D. As unprecedented cold sweeps across the Midwest and Southern Plains, energy consumption has reached a new high, forcing power providers into temporary blackouts to build back energy reserves.
Southwest Power Pool, or SPP, provides service for 17 central and western states from the Canadian border through Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Service is then divvied by region. Serving West River Electric Association and other Western South Dakota energy distributors is the Western Area Power Administration.
Courtesy: SPP
At peak energy usage Tuesday morning, SPP issued a ‘Level 3 Energy Emergency Alert.’ According to SPP’s Facebook page, this means “system-wide generating capacity has dropped below our current load”, warranting interruptions of electric service across the entire service area, including WAPA.