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Monopoly Area Monday
Monopoly Area Monday
Welcome to Grid Brief! Today, we’re looking at power generation in America’s traditional monopoly areas with relevant news items. Scroll to the end for great conversation starters about Ukraine’s major electrical grid challenges, Texas’ brave new approach to grid oversight, and FERC’s latest ruling.

And here’s a map to orient you as we move through the areas:

Northeast


New York and New England saw high temperatures and peak demand thus far in the year. While still short of the typical peak summer demand of year’s prior, the energy spikes were met with huge fluctuations in pricing (ranging even above $750 during some bursts of demand). The tip of peak demand saw a large influx of petroleum-based electricity production, a rare sight in this region but an important way to ramp up during spikes.
Carolinas

The Carolinas experienced a mix of hot and humid weather with temperatures peaking around 90°F, contributing to increased electricity demand. Frequent afternoon thunderstorms, typical for this time of year, also played a role in fluctuating power generation. Energy demand pushed over the 40,000 megawatthours threshold for nearly every weekday this week, but just over it.
Tennessee (TVA)

TVA demand dropped slightly, a much needed reprieve for the region’s electrical producers. While TVA spokespeople said they had no problem meeting demand last week, a flood of construction on new projects and several announced new facilities suggest they are concerned about long-run production.
Southeast

The Southeast saw a week that looked almost perfectly identical to the previous one. Predictable warm temperatures continue to create a reliance on natural gas to keep the region cool and the lights on.
Florida

Florida's electricity generation saw significant fluctuations this past week, primarily due to the impact of weather conditions. The recent storms and subsequent outages have led to a temporary decrease in production. Despite this, Duke Energy has announced a rate reduction, citing lower natural gas costs, which will benefit residential customers starting this month.
Texas (ERCOT)

After Hurricane Berryl pounded much of gulf-coast Texas, the problems didn’t stop. Houstonians were again without power for as much as 10 days. The powerless streak feels like it’s just piling on after a year of power problems. Despite the thousands without power, demand increased this week as a brief cooling from Berryl was replaced with harsh summer heat. Hopefully proposals like this newly funded idea will help.
Northwest

This week more-or-less mirrored last week.

A slight reprieve from the sweltering desert heat brought demand down nearer the 22,000 megawatthour mark, giving mostly natural gas facilities a bit of a break during the week after pushing hard to keep up with record heat.
Conversation Starters
Texas Takes Charge: New Committee to Oversee Electricity Post-Storms. Governor Greg Abbott has formed the Senate Special Committee on Hurricane and Tropical Storm Preparedness, Recovery, and Electricity in response to the poor handling of Hurricane Beryl by electric utility companies. Chaired by Sen. Charles Schwertner, the committee aims to investigate and improve future storm responses, marking a shift towards increased state oversight in electricity management.
Ukraine’s Energy Grid Faces New Challenges Amid Heat Wave. Ukraine’s already struggling energy grid, crippled by Russian attacks, is now battling a severe heat wave with temperatures soaring to 104°F. Authorities have imposed rolling blackouts to prevent a system collapse, leaving many areas, including Kyiv, without power for extended periods. This situation is a harbinger of potential challenges this winter as the country grapples with limited generating capacity and ongoing conflict.
FERC’s Transmission Planning Rule Triggers Wave of Appeals. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Order 1920, requiring forward-looking factors in transmission planning, has led to widespread legal challenges. Various states and environmental groups have filed appeals in multiple U.S. Circuit Courts, arguing that the rule oversteps state authority and inadequately addresses long-term transmission needs and storage resources.