Weather & Science
Blackouts Loom for Most of US in Extreme Summer-Heat Scenario
- North American grid overseer’s warning is more dire than 2022
- Aging electricity networks increasing risks of power failures
Electrical transmission towers at a PG&E electrical substation in Vacaville, California.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Most of the US is facing elevated blackout risks this summer in the event of widespread extreme heat as the power network serving roughly 400 million people grows increasingly fragile.
The US West, Midwest, Texas, Southeast, New England as well as Ontario in Canada “may experience shortfalls” of power amid temperatures spikes in coming months, according to a warning from the North American Electric Reliability Corp.