US Southwest and Texas at risk of power shortfalls this summer, regulator says

NEW YORK, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Southwest and Texas are at an increased risk of power supply shortfalls during times of peak demand this summer due to rising electricity consumption and supply constraints, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said on Wednesday.

Parts of the Midwest and New England are also under elevated threat of inadequate power supplies in high electricity consumption periods this summer, while the U.S. Northwest and most of the East Coast are expected to see normal conditions, NERC said.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Extreme heat, new data centers, increased manufacturing activity and electric vehicles are raising U.S. power demand forecasts in the summer months. At the same time, predictions for lower wind power and shrinking coal-fired generation are expected to reduce supply in parts of the United States.

Heavy demand on power grids without enough supply, or with a hamstrung transmission and distribution network, can raise power bills and lead to outages.