(Undated) -- Much of the Midwest is at risk of blackouts and brownouts this winter, according to the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. Robert Tallman is a senior engineer.
"A significant portion of North America is at risk of having insufficient energy supplies to meet demand in severe winter conditions," Tallman says. Areas identified as being at risk include over 2/3rds of the US east of the Rockies."
He says it's just the extreme conditions they're worried about.
"All areas have adequate resources for normal winter peak demand," Tallman says. "Prolonged, wide area cold snaps continue to be challenging. Many parts of North America are once again at an elevated risk of energy shortfalls under extreme conditions."
It's because of the move to using electricity in other areas like cars, large data centers and heating. Tallman says traditional power plants are being phased out and replaced with wind and solar which don't operate as reliably in extreme weather conditions.
"Significant winter load due to factors such as the electrification of heating and transportation coupled with the load from new data centers is creating a more challenging and complex environment," Tallman says.
NERC is working with utility companies to coordinate resources in power emergencies.