Polar Vortex set to test Midwest grids amid FERC resilience debate

Utility Dive: The Polar Vortex bearing down on the Midwest this week will put recent winter weather reforms to the test in PJM and other markets while stoking the debate over resilience at FERC.

In early 2014, a similar Polar Vortex battered the central U.S., setting power demand records across PJM, MISO and other regional grid operators. During that event, bitter cold temperatures disrupted natural gas pipelines and froze coal piles and mechanical components at generators, rendering some inoperable.

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