News Summary

Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans have initiated emergency power outages affecting nearly 100,000 customers across various parishes. This action follows a directive from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) to maintain grid reliability and prevent more extensive outages. Significant areas in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard, and Plaquemines parishes have been affected, causing disruptions to traffic and local businesses. As Entergy works to restore power, inquiries into MISO’s forecasting methods have emerged due to the minimal notice provided before the outages commenced.

New Orleans – Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans have initiated emergency power outages impacting nearly 100,000 customers across several parishes. This decision was directed by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) as a means of preserving grid reliability and preventing more extensive, prolonged power outages.

The planned outages, also referred to as “load shedding,” began around 4:30 PM CDT on Sunday, resulting in significant power interruptions. A total of over 52,000 customers in Orleans Parish lost power, alongside 36,000 in Jefferson Parish, 6,000 in St. Bernard, and 6,500 in Plaquemines. Areas affected included Lakeview, Gentilly, Mid-City, Uptown, Treme, Marigny, and the Garden District, leading to dark traffic signals and disruptions for businesses and residents who had to navigate intersections as four-way stops.

In response to the outages, Entergy has been actively working to restore power, although officials have not released a specific timeline for full restoration. Initial reports indicated some sections of Uptown had power restored by approximately 6:30 PM CDT, with expectations for complete restoration by 8 PM. However, Entergy is continuing to follow MISO’s directive to reduce load until the power shortfall is resolved.

In a development complicating the power situation, one generator was offline for maintenance, while a second generator unexpectedly failed on the same day. This combination resulted in demand for power surpassing forecasts, raising alarm about the integrity of the grid amid escalating summer demand.

As MISO is responsible for monitoring the electric grid across 15 states from Canada to the Gulf Coast, this incident has sparked inquiries from local leaders regarding their forecasting abilities and the minimal notice given to Entergy. Reports indicate that MISO issued only a three-minute warning before the emergency load shedding started, which has frustrated city officials and aggravated concerns about response protocols.

During this incident, there have been no reports of injuries related to the power outages. The situation remains fluid, and MISO is pushing for a swift restoration of normal operations while balancing the electrical demands of the community. With summer rapidly approaching, experts are closely watching grid reliability to avoid future emergencies.

In summary, as Entergy implements these crucial outages to maintain electrical stability, customers in the affected areas are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of multiple outages as conditions evolve. The electric grid operatives will monitor the situation, with the aim of halting the outages once the shortfall is adequately addressed.

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Author: HERE New Orleans