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(Renee Schiavone/Patch)
FARGO, ND The monumental power failure in Texas caused by unseasonable cold showed how extreme weather can push an electric grid to the brink.
The average U.S. power customer loses electricity for 1.5 to 2 hours annually even before extreme weather events are taken into account, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. As the Texas experience showed, hurricanes, snowstorms, heat waves and other extreme weather events can make such outages dramatically worse.
Customers in North Dakota state experienced 1.78 hours without power in 2019 2.92 fewer hours than the national average of 4.7 hours in 2019, which is the most recent information available, according to the EIA.
What was printed on this day 10, 25, 50 and 100 years ago.
Written By:
Pioneer Staff Report | 6:15 am, Feb. 24, 2021 ×
10 years ago
February 24, 2011 DWI Court, operating now in its fourth year on what was supposed to be a three year grant, will get some help from the Bemidji City Council. The council approved a $10,000 allocation to cover the one-year cost of frequent, random compliance checks. For the one-year fix, the money will come from liquor store profits.
25 years ago
February 24, 1996 The Bemidji Area Race Relations Task Force believes the hiring of a court advocate will not only help many people caught up in the criminal justice system but save the county money as well. Jim Thunder Hawk brings a wealth of experience to his new position. He was hired by the task force but is technically employed by Beltrami County.
State health officials say all coal ash disposal sites comply with regulations.
Written By:
Patrick Springer / Forum News Service | 10:46 am, Mar. 11, 2019 ×
The coal ash disposal landfill for Minnkota Power Cooperative s Milton R. Young Station near Center, N.D. Coal ash, considered a non-hazardous waste, contains pollutants including heavy metals. Rules require proper disposal in landfills lined with clay and plastic to prevent seepage into groundwater and drinking water sources. Photo courtesy of the North Dakota Department of Health
FARGO Unsafe contamination from coal ash disposal sites at half a dozen power plants in western North Dakota has seeped into groundwater sources, according to a report from an environmental group.
Rolling blackouts expected to continue in Jamestown area
Some customers in the Jamestown area on Northern Plains Electrical Cooperative were without power Tuesday morning as part of a rolling blackout. Written By: Keith Norman | ×
At 10 a.m on Tuesday, 290 customers of Northern Prairie Electrical Cooperative were without power as part of a rolling blackout to conserve energy on the power grid, according to the cooperative s website. They were the last group of outages that had started across the region hours earlier. It (the rolling blackouts) started at the northern tier of our system and worked its way south, said Seth Syverson, general manager for Northern Plains Electrical Cooperative.
jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Verendrye Electric Cooperative members experienced rolling blackouts Tuesday morning because of a strain on the power grid caused by bitter cold temperatures in several states.
Verendrye spokesman Tom Rafferty said the the 14-state Southwest Power Pool (SPP) has been unable to keep up with the electrical demand from wholesalers, such as the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a federal power marketing agency that provides power to Verendrye’s seven-county area. As a result, it has been necessary to drop some electrical load to stabilize the grid and avoid larger problems.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission reported many utilities in North Dakota were experiencing controlled outages due to low temperatures, high demand for energy and low amounts of renewable generation, including wind and solar, throughout the region.