A key regulatory agency that monitors the electrical utility landscape published an urgent warning for the coming winter, KGW reported, one that concerns a large swath of the U.S.

What's happening?

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation is tasked with ensuring the "reliability and security of the bulk power system" throughout North America.

NERC was established and strengthened after two major regional blackouts in 1965 and 2003, respectively; its functions include producing energy reliability reports for winter and summer.

NERC rang the alarm about the Pacific Northwest, a region known for heavy rains, hot summers, and cooler winters. On Nov. 18, the regulator issued its yearly Winter Reliability Assessment for 2025-2026, covering all of North America.

As KGW indicated, the new NERC report determined the Pacific Northwest was at "elevated risk" of insufficient power supply during extreme weather events.

NERC assessed energy resilience across various regions against the likelihood of extreme weather and whether balancing authorities were equipped to handle electricity demand throughout the winter.

In its comprehensive report, NERC determined that under standard conditions, BAs would likely require "external assistance" to contend with anticipated extreme winter weather.

"External assistance may not be available during region-wide extreme winter conditions. Winter peak demand for the area is forecast to be 2.9 GW higher (9.3%) compared to last year," NERC observed.

Why is this concerning?

NERC's summary of the assessment was bluntly titled: "Rising Demand, Evolving Resources Continue to Challenge Winter Grid Reliability."

The report detailed a multipronged utility-side problem of spiking demand against decreasing capacity, citing power-hungry data centers as a major contributor to an overworked grid.

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"​​Total and net internal demand are up 9.3% with the primary drivers being data centers, residential electrification, transportation electrification, and semiconductor manufacturing," NERC's Northwest assessment read.

Increasingly volatile supply and demand are also behind sky-high electric bills, but NERC's assessment emphasized extreme weather, a factor that no amount of capacity can affect. Although harsh winter weather has always existed, extreme weather has not.

As the planet overheats, one of the most direct impacts is extreme weather — a phenomenon scientists concur is supercharged by rising temperatures and warming seas.

What's being done about it?

Although NERC is empowered to monitor and assess the reliability of North America's electrical grid, the agency's role is primarily informational.

NERC's assessment underscored the need to keep tabs on key climate issues such as extreme weather, knowledge that helps individuals stay prepared.

Installing solar panels is one of the best approaches to household energy resiliency, and TCD's Solar Explorer makes the switch hassle-free.

In addition to curating competitive bids from vetted local installers, Solar Explorer can save customers up to $10,000 on new installations.

Alternative energy sources such as solar with battery backups don't just make households more resilient; they also lower utility bills to $0 or even less.

NERC's report observed that Saskatchewan does not anticipate any reliability issues during the 2025–2026 winter, citing increased capacity from renewable sources such as solar and wind.

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