Controlled Outage Information

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Help avoid service interruptions by conserving energy

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Extreme heat and cold can cause a tremendous strain on our electrical system. During these times, OPPD may be directed by the regional transmission organization to take some of our customer-owners offline for a short period of time to conserve power and prevent longer, larger outages.

This action, known as load shedding, impacts customers served by utilities in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) – 14 states stretching from North Dakota to the northern part of Texas – and under the guidance of state and federal regulators.

Our goal is to provide our customer-owners with as much notice as possible with these types of events. In an event, our customer service team would notify those customers who would be affected. General updates about the event can also be found on StormandOutage.com as well as Twitter, Facebook and NextDoor.

Load shedding is a last resort measure. We know that this is challenging for those customer-owners who are affected, and we would not ask our customer-owners to go through such an event unless it was necessary to protect the larger electrical grid and prevent longer, larger outages.

In an event, we would ask our customer-owners to help by decreasing their energy usage: turn up thermostats so air conditioners run less or turn down thermostats so heat runs less, close fireplace dampers, seal windows and external doors, unplug electronic devices, turn off lights not in use, and delay things like doing laundry or running or dishwasher. We are grateful for our customer-owners’ help.

Have a Plan

Power interruptions impact us all, but have greater impacts on our elderly neighbors and those in medical need. If you use life-sustaining medical equipment that depends on electricity for operation, it’s important to have a plan for a power outage. Make sure all batteries are charged and ready to be used in case of an emergency. In the worst case event, such as a significant weather crisis, prepare to evacuate to an alternate location that will likely have power or has a backup generator. A plan should include at least two alternatives, including a friend or family member who lives in a different area as well as a nearby fire station or medical facility with backup generators.

In a medical emergency, call 911.

Conserving Energy is Key

OPPD asks customers to conserve energy and do their part to lessen the demand. Here are some ways our customers can help.

Winter Tips:

Lower your thermostat a few degrees. This can help reduce your energy usage by 1-3% per degree lowered (up to 5% if you have an all-electric HVAC system). Stay comfortable by dressing in layers or using additional blankets.
Unplug items not in use. While this will not save a lot of money or energy in one home, it does reduce the energy required on the electrical grid when done by thousands of customers. Using smart plugs, outlets and lights makes it easier to control the power to your devices. If you have a power strip, turning it off will have about the same effect as unplugging it.
Open curtains & blinds receiving direct sunlight to increase the heat gain in a room by as much as 5-7 degrees. Do this instead of raising the temperature on your thermostat.

Summer Tips:

Raise your thermostat and use fans to cool only you. Turn your thermostat up a few degrees and use a directional fan (e.g. a box fan) to help keep you cool via the windchill effect. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms. Fans, especially ceiling fans, left on in an unattended room will actually increase the temperature of the room. If you’re using a ceiling fan, be sure it is spinning counterclockwise.
Close curtains & blinds receiving direct sunlight to decrease the heat gain in your home. Do this instead of lowering the temperature on your thermostat. Together, curtains and blinds make a two-layer system to slow the flow of heat into the home.
Defer using heat-generating appliances until cooler parts of the day. Stoves, ovens, dishwashers, clothes dryers and other large appliances generate heat, which travels through your home through the HVAC system or from room to room. Using these appliances during the cooler parts of the day (morning or evening/night) will avoid adding unnecessary heat your cooling system will have to combat.
Unplug items not in use. While this will not save a lot of money or energy in one home, it does reduce the energy required on the electrical grid when done by thousands of customers. Using smart plugs, outlets and lights makes it easier to control the power to your devices. If you have a power strip, turning it off will have about the same effect as unplugging it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is load shedding?

Load shedding, or rotating outages, are controlled, temporary interruptions of electrical service directed by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) when electricity-generating resources cannot meet the electricity demand in the region. Each electric utility is asked to reduce demand in an amount directed by SPP. Decisions on which areas are affected are made within minutes. Rotating outages are necessary as a last resort to maintain the reliability of the system.

Why does it happen?

Load shedding events happen when electricity demand exceeds supply and we are forced to reduce power demand to some customer-owners to prevent longer, larger outages and long-term damage to the power grid.

What is the Southwest Power Pool (SPP)?

The electrical grid is interconnected, and we have been relying on our neighbors (and they on us) well before becoming a part of Southwest Power Pool (SPP).

The Southwest Power Pool is the Regional Transmission Operator (RTO) to which OPPD is a member. SPP facilitates grid interconnection and collaboration through its multi-state region for the optimization of grid assets between electric utilities. There are nine RTOs spanning the United States. SPP, based in Little Rock, Ark., manages the bulk electric grid, operates a wholesale market and plans transmission on behalf of its 95 utilities and transmission companies.

RTOs oversee and coordinate transmission outages across the power grid.

The Reliability Coordinator role for SPP is the part of SPP that directs load reductions for each load-serving entity within the region. Without this type of load reduction, the electrical system across all of the eastern half of the U.S. could become unstable and all loads would be unable to be served. This coordination of reliability for the entire region is a large benefit for OPPD and all entities like OPPD that serve load.

How does SPP help us during load shedding events?

All SPP members do their part. SPP is designed for members to support one another. If we have severe problems with our generation, as we did with the flooding in 2011 and 2019, or the polar vortex in 2021, we can lean on SPP and others in the group to keep us going and provide power to our customers.

How can OPPD outages make a difference for the entire SPP footprint?

Just like the region-wide effort to conserve energy, the cumulative effect of the region-wide curtailment helps balance grid demand to the supply available.

Where can I get timely updates during an event?

The latest information can be found at stormandoutage.com. OPPD’s Twitter, Facebook and NextDoor accounts are also good sources for timely updates.

Do rotating outages happen only during the day?

No, these outages can happen at any time, day or night, when electricity-generating resources cannot meet the electricity demand in the region.

Could there be a chance of a city-wide blackout?

We work hard to prevent that. Our goal is to prevent longer, larger outages and protect the electrical grid across the Midwest. In an event, we would ask our customer-owners to help by decreasing their energy usage. A few things customers can do to help: turn up thermostats so that air conditioners run less or turn down thermostats so heat runs less, close fireplace dampers, seal windows and external doors, unplug electronic devices, turn off lights and delay things like doing laundry or running or dishwasher.

Would the blackouts affect important infrastructure like streetlights?

We do not turn off streetlights during load shedding events. Streetlights are critical for safety and use a very small amount of electricity.

How are outage or service interruption areas chosen?

In emergency situations where interruptions to service are required, OPPD selects outage areas as equitably and effectively as possible. It has less to do with geography and more to do with the amount of load being requested to be curtailed by the Southwest Power Pool. OPPD is prepared for these types of situations and has designated 10 geographic "blocks" within its service area. In these controlled outage situations, the outages rotate through those areas, so as to ensure no one area is impacted more than another. This process also ensures the needed energy conservation goals are met. OPPD works to make sure key infrastructure, like hospitals, are impacted least.

How many people do such outages affect?

Outages during a load-shedding event limit power to a targeted group of customers. In an event, we would determine the approximate number of customer-owners who would be impacted in each of 10 geographic blocks across our service territory based the amount of load being requested to be curtailed by the Southwest Power Pool. Our goal is to prevent longer, larger outages, protect the larger electrical grid and get the power supply to a good level to support the demand.

Why doesn't OPPD give customers more notice?

Load shedding is a last resort measure. OPPD works hard to protect supply and would not ask our customer-owners to go through this unless it was necessary to protect the larger electrical grid and prevent longer, larger outages.

We apologize that we are not able to give customer-owners more notice. Our customer service team notifies customers as soon as possible, but the outages can happen quickly, sometimes before we have an opportunity to notify customers.