SPP sets April peakload record, issues another resource advisory on higher temps

The Southwest Power Pool set an April peakload record during a resource advisory(opens in a new tab) on above-normal temperatures and low renewable generation, and issued another resource advisory for April 17 that could reach a new monthly mark.

The record of 34.76 GW was reached at 6:16 pm CT April 14, rising about 4% above the previous record set April 22, 2022, SPP spokeswoman Meghan Sever said in an email April 16. The record was immediately challenged the next day but held up when the peakload checked in at 34.681 GW April 15, Sever said.

The April record, however, remains well below SPP's all-time peak record of 56.184 GW, which was set Aug. 21, 2023, when sweltering heat enveloped the Central US.

The latest resource advisory will be in effect from 10 am to 7 pm CT April 17 and covers the grid operator's entire 14-state regional transmission organization footprint.

"The resource advisory is being declared for high peak loads due to unseasonably warm temperatures, potential low VER [variable energy resource] forecast during peak and planned resource outages," SPP said in the notice issued April 16.

VER typically refers to resources like wind and solar. Wind generation, which has led SPP's fuel mix for the past two months(opens in a new tab), is forecast to peak at 24.513 GW April 17, which is 13.4% lower than the wind generation peak forecast for April 16, according to SPP data.

Planned and forced resource outages are expected to total about 29.8 GW for April 17, Sever said.

To mitigate risks to reliability, SPP said it may use greater unit commitment notification timeframes, including making commitments before standard day-ahead market procedures and/or committing resources in reliability status.

Forecast outlook

SPP forecast peakload at about 34.969 GW April 17, an increase of roughly 17% from the previous Wednesday. For comparison, peakload has averaged 31.356 GW so far this month, compared to 30.754 GW for the same period last year.

The population-weighted average temperature across the SPP footprint is forecast at 66.4 degrees Fahrenheit for April 17, which is 11.4% higher than the month-to-date average temperature, according to CustomWeather data. Population-weighted temperatures across SPP have averaged 5% higher than normal so far in April and 42.3% higher compared to last year, according to CustomWeather.

The spike in forecast demand and resource advisory declaration caused SPP South Hub on-peak day-ahead to climb near $41/MWh on the Intercontinental Exchange, a jump of 41% day on day.

A resource advisory, which does not require the public to conserve energy, is declared when severe weather conditions, significant outages, wind-forecast uncertainty and/or load-forecast uncertainty are expected in SPP's balancing authority area. Resource advisories provide awareness of possible threats to reliability among operators responsible for transmission and generation facilities.

The next step above a resource advisory is a conservative operations advisory, which seeks voluntary energy conservation from the public.