SPP said it expects a “high likelihood” of meeting demand during the upcoming winter season.
Bruce Rew, senior vice president of operations, told stakeholders during a Nov. 17 winter readiness webinar that SPP does not anticipate “major concerns” during the season, which runs from December through February.
“Our studies show we’ll have sufficient generation to meet peak demand, and that’s before considering resources such as demand response, energy imports or voluntary conservation programs,” he said. “While our forecasts are dependable, they’re not perfect, so we also work to be prepared in case of an unexpected event.”
Rew assured his audience that SPP has “robust” tools and procedures in place to maintain reliability, “even when real operating conditions deviate from our forecast.”
“Thanks to the dedication of our staff members and stakeholders, we’re all well positioned to meet the challenges of the upcoming winter season,” he said.
SPP is predicting what Rew called a three-way weather forecast split across its footprint: colder than normal temperatures across the northern section, near normal conditions in the central areas and warmer than normal conditions slightly more likely in the South.
“An isolated extreme event cannot be ruled out,” Rew said.
Staff said SPP expects peak demand to exceed 48.8 GW during the winter. It has more than 64 GW of accredited capacity, a reserve margin of 35% and about 1.2 GW of DR to work with.
The RTO’s load-responsible entities are required to meet a 15% planning reserve margin for both the summer and winter seasons in 2025. The winter PRM ratchets up to 36% for the 2026-27 winter season.
The grid operator set a record winter peak of 48.1 GW in February 2025. Its all-time peak is 56.2 GW, set in August 2023.
