News, News Feb 16

At this point there is no time frame set for rolling blackouts to begin or if they will happen at all for SEMO Electric. The messages during the past few days have been an effort to help you reduce bill shock and reduce pressure on the electrical system. If it does get to the point where rolling blackouts need to be implemented, we will provide notice as soon as we have been informed. The size of the blackout area will depend on how much system load needs to be shed.

It is called a rolling blackout for a reason. The goal is to reduce load by impacting a minimal amount of the system for a designated amount of time and then returning power to the affected area and moving to a different area of the system. The way this will be accomplished on our systems will be by de-energizing the entire substation and not just picking and choosing among individual members. The outage should last no longer than an hour and then the substation will be re-energized and another substation in the system will be turned off.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer for this situation other than an extreme amount of cold weather affecting a large region of the country at one time. One more thing to keep in mind is that the electrical grid is very complex and involves many parts and the aforementioned cold weather is affecting multiples of these parts at one time.

As stated earlier there has been no directive to shed load at this time, so we are only providing this information to be proactive. Rest assured that if the plan has to be put into motion, we will post the notification here and, on our website, as soon as possible. We will do everything in our power to minimize the event to the best of our ability.

Please continue to be safe and save energy when possible. Thank you for your continued support. The employees (Team SEMO) of SEMO Electric Cooperative, M&A Electric Power Cooperative, and Associated Electric Cooperative take pride in providing safe and reliable energy to you, the member. Together, with all of us doing our part, we will make it through this event just like we have in the past.

5 p.m. Beat the Peak! Thank you for helping as Team SEMO works to keep the lights on and the fiber flowing! Follow these tips to help beat the peak! • Turn the thermostat down at least four degrees • Turn off nonessential electric appliances and lights • Turn electric water heaters off or set to 120 degrees • Use towels or blankets to block cold air entry points, particularly around doors and windows • Close curtains and blinds; insulate with plastic sheeting, cardboard or a blanket • Bundle up in the warmest room of the home with layers of clothing and blankets