The first extreme heat wave of summer is stressing the nation’s power grid and prompting the Trump administration to let some power plants in the Southeast exceed emissions limits to help keep air conditioners humming. Via Politico:
The order is the latest in a string of emergency actions by President Donald Trump’s Energy Department aimed at allowing fossil fuel plants to operate when they wouldn’t otherwise be idled or shut down. The actions come as power plant retirements, delays in getting replacement plants and power lines in service, and rising electricity demand increase the risk of outages.
The risk is exacerbated by more frequent extreme weather, including storms and extreme heat.
Much of the eastern U.S., from northeast Texas to New England, is baking in triple-digit heat and humidity this week thanks to a heat dome — an area of high pressure in the upper atmosphere that traps heat and humidity. Cities from St. Louis to Washington to New York were under heat advisories or warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
The high temperatures are expected to last at least through tonight for many areas and have prompted utilities to ask the customers to conserve energy.
Already more than 40,000 customers in several New York City boroughs lost power Monday as extreme heat and humidity stressed the local grid, according to utility Consolidated Edison. ConEd asked residents in the area to avoid running energy-intensive appliances such as washers and microwaves and to limit air conditioner use or charging electric vehicles until repairs were complete.
The utility said it reduced voltage by 8 percent in the area serving some customers in southeastern Queens.
Oh, also, turn off bitcoin mines and AI generators! (Like THAT would happen!)
