
Each of these substantive areas of reform is neglected in no small part because of the silos and tensions discussed above—and each bears emphasizing as an area ripe for attention by revamped grid reliability institutions. This white paper has made the case that we should understand the crisis of grid reliability as a crisis of governance. Whether done through an existing agency or the creation of a new one, a federal grid planning effort should design and execute a national plan for grid expansion, which could be mandatorily imposed as regions’ baseline plans in FERC-overseen regional transmission planning. Given these well-documented limitations, it is arguably time to move authority for grid planning to a public entity, drawing from already extensive public expertise in modeling the ideal shape of a more interconnected grid.60 There are different ways that grid planning could be federalized, and we do not offer a particular detailed proposal here. The public/private divide creates further reasons to establish FERC as the reliability “Fed” to oversee all grid reliability issues comprehensively, as proposed above. This is a sclerotic way to implement reforms in the face of pressing grid reliability challenges.
The authority responsible for writing and enforcing grid reliability standards, NERC, is a private membership organization. Different agencies control different functions of grid reliability, such as planning for new generation versus writing reliability rules that ensure safe grid operations. Governmental and self-regulatory organizations at different levels (federal and state) control different portions of the grid.
A legal overhaul that http://romj.org/2025-0302 gave FERC central authority to broadly remediate reliability challenges across supply, transmission, markets, and beyond would allow for a more flexible, adaptive approach to managing grid reliability. Numerous reforms—both ambitious and more moderate—could help break down these silos and forge a more coherent model of grid reliability governance. A recognition that silos among our reliability institutions present the core threat to reliability—rather than any particular regulation or set of resources—sets the stage for different approaches to ensuring grid reliability in the coming decades.
This white paper argues that the primary threat to grid reliability is not the changing energy mix but rather failures in grid governance. By leveraging data analytics, utilities can predict and prevent potential failures, reducing outages and improving customer satisfaction. Utilities must submit reports on system performance, and failing to meet benchmarks may lead to regulatory penalties or mandated corrective actions. Additionally, reliability measurement is essential for enhancing customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, microgrids are gaining traction as localized energy networks that can operate independently or connect to the main grid when needed. SPP’s West BA area remains under normal operating conditions.
CT through an anticipated end time of 7 p.m. SPP is extending the Conservative Operations Advisory for the West Balancing Authority Area (BAA) through an anticipated end time of Saturday, August 1, at 12 a.m. CT through an anticipated end time of Thursday, July 30, at 7 p.m. Due to improved system conditions, SPP is ending the Energy Emergency Alert 2 (EEA2) for SPP’s West Balancing Authority Area (BAA), but remains under a Conservative Operations Advisory (stable conditions) until an anticipated end time https://open-innovation-projects.org/blog/where-open-source-software-thrives-exploring-its-impact-and-potential-across-industries of Saturday, Aug. 1, at 12 a.m. SPP is extending the Conservative Operations Advisory for the West Balancing Authority Area (BAA) through an anticipated end time of Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12 a.m.
CT (midnight) until an anticipated end time of Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12 a.m. CT (midnight) until an anticipated end time of Tuesday, August 11, at 12 a.m. CT, but remains under a Conservative Operations Advisory (West BAA – stable conditions) until an anticipated end time of Thursday, August 13, at 12 a.m. The SPP East BAA remains under baseline normal operating conditions._____
SPP is extending the Resource Advisory for the East Balancing Authority Area (BAA) through an anticipated end time of Saturday, August 22, at 9 p.m. SPP’s East BAA is currently under a Resource Advisory until an anticipated end time of Saturday, August 22, at 9 p.m. CT (noon) until an anticipated end time of Friday, August 28, at 12 a.m. CT (noon) until an anticipated end time of Friday, August 28 at 12 a.m.
Beyond inadequate jurisdictional authority, the many federal and state actors responsible for reliability are housed within distinct silos, both horizontally (at the same level of government), and vertically (at different levels, such as state and federal authority). As suggested above in the introduction to grid governance, regulatory jurisdiction over the construction, operation, and pricing of the electric grid is significantly fractured—far more so than for other types of energy infrastructure. Beyond the electric grid itself, other energy systems are critical to electricity reliability. In many states, these commissions plan for future expansion of generation capacity within their borders through a process known as “Integrated Resource Planning.”29 This divided authority between planning for generation at the state level and the transmission necessary to transport electricity at the federal level creates predictable complications—a topic that we take up in the next part.
Policymakers and stakeholders are therefore right to prioritize grid reliability as a pressing concern.3 But many are misdiagnosing the nature of the reliability challenge—or worse, using https://8wsm.com/finance/investing-in-water-the-world-s-most-critical-commodity/ it to pursue separate agendas that are likely to hinder grid reliability over the long haul. In the past few years, multiple winter storms have led to rolling blackouts, with devastating effects.1 And the aging U.S. electric grid is set to come under additional reliability threats as climate change fuels ever more severe weather disasters. Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs)—responsible for planning for the electric grid and designing and operating the markets that ensure resource adequacy in many regions—are also private membership organizations.
And there has been some progress under the Biden administration toward rationalizing and expanding transmission.31 But more needs to be done to overcome federal-state tensions in this critical policy space.32 This part introduces several critical problems with siloing in grid reliability governance before suggesting several potential reforms. Governance challenges in the form of silos and inadequate federal jurisdictional authority reach all areas that are critical to modern reliability.
There are allegations that people with inside information on war and troop movements are placing bets in the liminal space between planning and action. Kramer told BBC World Service’s Newshour show she “did not expect” the reaction to her post and “just wanted to uplift women and remind them that you may see these types of ads but remember that this is not the only thing that matters”. It has sparked a strong reaction, with many female athletes criticising its sexualisation of women in sport, and how they are being defined by their appearance rather than their achievements as sportswomen.
Resource Advisories are still considered normal operating conditions and do not require the public to conserve energy or take any action, but are issued to raise awareness of potential threats to reliability among entities responsible for operating transmission and generation facilities. The declaration of an EEA1 does not require the public to conserve energy and does not indicate that SPP will be directing controlled service outages. Through support from Congress, OE invests in research and development to advance grid reliability, grid modernization, transmission deployment, and critical generation facilities.