US energy regulator recommends revising reliability standards for extreme weather

As part of the conclusions from research on winter storm Elliott in 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposed changing dependability criteria for power grid and natural gas infrastructure on Thursday.

Elliott delivered subzero temperatures and severe weather warnings to over two-thirds of the United States, resulting in unforeseen energy-generating supply outages.

The study, which will be released later this year, includes 11 suggestions for action to help prevent similar situations in future harsh winter weather.

According to FERC, the study proposes finishing adjustments to cold weather dependability standards following Winter Storm Uri in 2021, which resulted in the biggest managed outage in US history, and made US natural gas infrastructure more dependable.

The proposals also involve rigorous monitoring of the dependability requirements’ application.

They also request that the North American Energy Standards Board convene a conference of gas, electric grid operators, and gas distribution businesses to improve communication during severely cold weather situations and raise awareness throughout the natural gas supply chain.

According to the FERC study, congressional and state legislation or regulation is also required to set dependability criteria for natural gas infrastructure.

A joint inquiry led by FERC and NERC into the power outages and rolling blackouts during winter storm Elliott in December 2022 found cold weather caused unplanned electric generation supply losses exceeding 90,000 megawatts (MW).