"Large parts of the United States and some areas in Canada, home to around 165 million people, could face energy shortfalls during periods of extreme heat this summer, a group that sets reliability standards for North American electric grids warned.

In its summer outlook released on Wednesday, the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) put the U.S. West, Midwest, Texas, Southeast, and New England, along with Ontario in Canada, at elevated risk of "insufficient operating reserves in above-normal conditions."

NERC said extreme heat events put the U.S. West at risk of an energy supply shortfall as it relies on regional energy transfers to meet demand at peak or when solar output is diminished.

"Wildfire risks to the transmission network, which often accompany these wide-area heat events, can limit electricity transfers and result in localized load shedding," NERC said."

Deep Vakil reports for Reuters May 17, 2023. [2]