PJM Report Confirms Blackout Danger from Poor Maintenance at Gas-Fired Power Plants
VALLEY FORGE, PA (July 24, 2023) -- Today PJM gave a presentation on its detailed report on Winter Storm Elliott, which caused blackouts across the Southeast and threatened much wider problems within the eastern grid. At the meeting the operator confirmed what was established in the report has long been suspected: the main cause of grid unreliability was maintenance failures at gas-fired power plants.
Following is a statement from Tom Rutigliano, senior advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council.)
“Despite getting paid tens billions of dollars over the last decade, many in the gas industry continue to shirk their responsibility to provide reliable electric power. The leading cause of power plant outages was equipment failure, nearly all of which is preventable through maintenance. Even more troubling, many of the plants that failed didn’t report that they were unable to produce power, leaving grid operators scrambling. FERC should take a close look at why these plants weren't accurately reporting their status.
"Winter Storm Elliott also revealed problems with the gas supply industry, with PJM reporting outages because suppliers weren’t available over the holiday weekend, and generation owners reporting exploitative pricing and commercial requirements. The gas industry talks a big game about being a reliable supply of energy, but their track record tells a different story."