The Nation’s Grid is Stressed by Summer Demand

Jul 2, 2021

A story published today in The Seattle Times covers a series of recent outages across the country starting with a heatwave that left thousands without power in  Washington state on Monday. There were also blackouts in Idaho, Oregon, California, and Nevada. And just two weeks ago the Texas grid struggled again in its own heatwave, just four months after the February freeze shut it down.

Our nation’s grid is struggling. So now what? The Seatle Times story quotes the Energy Secretary. “We need to jam on the accelerator here,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said at a panel discussion earlier this spring. “We’ve got to make sure the capacity is there on the grid.”

The central issue is congestion along transmission lines that bring power from where it’s made to where it’s wanted. Until long-distance transmission lines are enhanced, utilities will have to find ways to manage increased demand.

Transmission construction, upgrades, and maintenance have always been at the core of Irby’s service offering. We’re at the ready to upgrade and expand the grid to serve modern capacity.

Read the full Seatle Times story here.