NERC releases report on the state of the bulk power system

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The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) has released its 2025 State of Reliability (SOR) report, indicating that the bulk power system (BPS) remained reliable and resilient in 2024. The report highlights improvements in transmission system reliability, with fewer outages and shorter restoration times. However, it also notes the emergence of new risks that could challenge grid reliability, particularly due to extreme weather events, which were the primary cause of severe outages last year.

In 2024, the BPS faced 27 weather-related events in the U.S. and three in Canada, resulting in significant financial losses but no operator-initiated load shedding. The report emphasizes the impact of large loads, such as data centers, on system stability, with a notable incident where 1,500 MW of data centers disconnected unexpectedly. NERC's Large Loads Task Force is addressing these challenges, while improvements in battery energy storage systems (BESS) are also noted, particularly in Texas, where BESS installations have increased significantly. Overall, the report assesses BPS performance, identifies emerging risks, and evaluates the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.