The Alliance for Affordable Energy is urging interested ratepayers to sign up to participate virtually at the quarterly board meeting of MISO- the Midcontinent Independent System Operator – set for Thursday, June 12. MISO controls electric distribution in the region and ordered the May 25th outage event which left 100,000 Louisiana residents without power for several hours. “These types of outages – typically referred to as load shed events – can be prevented,” said Alliance staffer Frederick Bell via email. “The decisions made by MISO, Entergy, Cleco and our regulators directly impact whether events like this continue to occur,” Bell continued.
For many decades Entergy New Orleans and its predecessor NOPSI controlled the distribution of electricity through a multi-state consortium. Several states withdrew from that consortium making it necessary for the remaining states to join another network.
The City Council and the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) which regulates Entergy New Orleans and Entergy Louisiana subsequently decided that contracting with MISO was the best option for New Orleans and Louisiana residents. MISO controls the distribution of electricity in more than a dozen states from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. With Louisiana located at one end of the line, regional ratepayers were impacted by a potential overload and a lack of distribution. During these summer months and projected inclement weather including tornadoes, hurricanes and other weather emergencies, this type of load share event could easily occur again.
The Alliance for Affordable Energy plans to voice many concerns at Thursday’s meeting. “These outages are the result of decades of resisting transmission planning and interconnection to protect utility profits. But Miso can be part of the solution. Making public comments helps ensure the electric grid is affordable, reliable and built with residents’ needs in mind,” Bell explained. To sign up for virtual participation at MISO’s board meeting, log on to www.all4energy.org
