Story thread · 53 reports / 35 sources

20 million Americans across 17 states face risk of blackout

metro.co.uk · 13dShare

17 US states are at risk of a blackout due to extreme heat (Picture: Getty Images) Around 20 million Americans across 17 states are living with the threat of a potential blackout. As North America continues to face extreme heat warnings — which are pushing the power grid to its limits — the US Department of Energy (DOE) has been forced to take action. Specifically, authorising the operator serving parts of 17 states to activate idle power sources. These states are: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico , North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming. With regular Americans dealing with an uncomfortable blend of rising temperatures and humidity, it’s caused air conditioning demand to surge. The DOE’s decision allows the usually switched-off backup plants to generate extra electricity should the main grid become overwhelmed. The US has experienced extreme heat this summer If electricity supplies do become

First report: US Energy Department orders more power resources for western electric grid — reuters.com, 15d