July could be a critical month for the power grid that supplies electricity to homes and businesses across the Midwest, including City Water Light and Power customers.
CWLP updated aldermen Tuesday night on the ongoing risks of temporary power outages if the grid is unable to keep up with demand during the summer heat. If it looks like that will happen, the utility will first issue an advisory that energy conservation may be needed. It issued such an advisory during last week’s extreme heat, but did not have to go to the next step of actually requesting that customers conserve power.
The final step would be rolling blackouts, in 15-minute increments, a last-ditch effort to prevent much wider and longer-lasting outages. CWLP says the chance of those rolling blackouts will likely be greatest in July… and warns the problem is only expected to get worse next summer.
