Summer Reliability Outlook: What You Should Know

In early May, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment, raising concerns about the potential for electric generation and transmission shortfalls in several regions. Southwest Power Pool (SPP), the regional transmission organization (RTO) that serves our cooperative was placed in an “elevated risk” category for the upcoming summer.

Despite this elevated risk, SPP expects to have sufficient generation to meet peak electricity demand this summer. Each year, SPP assesses seasonal risks by evaluating projected electricity use, weather conditions, and system reliability factors such as drought and transmission outages.

While forecasts suggest warmer-than-average temperatures and lower-than-average rainfall, SPP has systems in place to respond to potential disruptions. These include calling on reserve resources, delaying maintenance outages, and importing power from neighboring regions when necessary.

So, what does this mean for you? The way we generate electricity is changing. As more renewables come online and traditional sources are retired, our cooperative continues to support an all-of-the-above energy strategy. This means embracing renewable resources while also relying on dependable baseload generation like coal, natural gas, nuclear, and hydropower to ensure reliable and affordable power.

We are working with our electric generation partners, including Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative and their primary power provider Basin Electric Power Cooperative, to meet summer demand and advocate for policies that support a balanced, resilient energy mix. Our mission remains clear: to provide you with safe, reliable, and cost-effective electricity, today and into the future.