MISO Asks Entergy Customers to Conserve Electricity

01/17/2018

CONTACT

Charlotte J. Cavell
504-576-4132
ccavell@entergy.com

Michael Burns
504-576-4132
mburns@entergy.com

Action requested due to demand potentially exceeding available generation

NEW ORLEANS – Our power reliability coordinator, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, is requesting Entergy customers voluntarily reduce their electricity usage on Thursday, Jan. 18, between 5 a.m. and 11 a.m. MISO is making this unusual request because use of electricity could exceed available generation, due to higher than expected demand for power and unexpected power generator outages within the MISO southern territory. MISO is working to bring on additional generation in the area.

The higher than expected demand is due to the unusually cold temperatures that moved into the territory over the past few days.

MISO is making similar requests to utilities across the Midwest, including other utilities near our service area. If the power supply cannot meet the demand, then periodic power outages would be needed.

“We apologize for any inconvenience,” said Dennis Dawsey, Entergy’s vice president for customer service in Louisiana. “The arctic blast is driving up electricity usage. This is an unusual situation MISO is working to correct as soon as possible.” Dawsey added that the request does not apply to elderly customers or those with special health concerns.

Entergy joined MISO, one of the nation's largest regional transmission organizations, in December 2013. MISO comprises a pool of electricity generators and users that stretches from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

To balance the power demand with supply, Entergy has special agreements with some industrial and wholesale customers that allow for power curtailments. Some ways residential customers can reduce electricity usage include:

Lower the thermostat to 68 degrees or lower.
Delay laundry, washing dishes, bathing, etc., until later in the day.
Don’t allow warm air to escape from the home. Check caulking around doors and windows and fill holes and gaps where wiring and pipes enter the house.

Entergy New Orleans, LLC is an electric and gas utility that serves Louisiana’s Orleans Parish. The company provides electricity to more than 198,000 customers and natural gas to more than 106,000 customers.

Entergy Louisiana, LLC provides electric service to more than 1 million customers and natural gas service to nearly 93,000 customers in the greater Baton Rouge area. The company has operations in southern, central and northeastern Louisiana. Both companies are subsidiaries of Entergy Corporation.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, including nearly 9,000 megawatts of nuclear power. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of approximately $10.8 billion and nearly 13,000 employees.

MISO ensures reliable operation of, and equal access to, high-voltage power lines in 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba. MISO manages one of the world’s largest energy markets, with more than $20 billion in annual gross market energy transactions. MISO was approved as the nation’s first regional transmission organization in 2001. The not-for-profit organization is governed by an independent board of directors and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.

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