North American Electric Reliability Corp Summer Reliability Outlook Says Record Additions Of Generation- Solar, Batteries And Some Natural Gas- Have Strengthened Readiness, But Elevated Risks Remain

On May 19, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. released its 2026 Summer Reliability Assessment which finds record generation additions-- in particular solar, batteries and some natural gas-- have strengthened readiness for the summer season, even as elevated risks remain in some areas.

“The pace of change across the North American grid continues to accelerate, but industry is working diligently to construct the necessary generation and transmission needed to power the future,” said John Moura, director of Reliability Assessments and Performance Analysis. 

“We are seeing a record-breaking amount of on-peak capacity being interconnected in a single year strengthening system readiness for summer conditions. However, increasing risks for early fall and winter seasons reinforce the need for additional firm and dispatchable resources to maintain reliability and meet rising electricity demand.”

All areas are projected to have adequate resources for normal summer conditions. 

This is due in part to the large expansion of bulk power system resource additions, including a substantial influx of solar and battery and some new natural gas-fired generators over the past year. 

Summer resource capacity has risen by over 58 GW, which is more than three times the amount of resource growth observed going into the prior summer. These additions are helping strengthen reserves across many areas.  

Despite the improved outlook, the assessment identifies ongoing challenges that could strain the grid this summer. 

Accelerated demand, rapid growth of large loads, periods of low wind output, and the overlap of early summer heat with maintenance outages may challenge reliability.

NERC’s recommendations, described fully in the report, outline actions to help reduce reliability risks, including reviewing operating plans and outage coordination procedures, preparing for extreme weather and potential generator outages and ensuring sufficient resource availability. 

The recommendations also emphasize planning for region-specific challenges, including low wind conditions, reduced hydro availability and output, and large computational load disconnects, while encouraging continued coordination across industry, regulators, and policymakers.

Click Here for the Summer Reliability Assessment.

Click Here for the NERC announcement.

NewsClips:

-- PJM Interconnection Extends Maximum Generation Alert To May 20

-- Bloomberg: Heat Strains US Power Grids That Need Off-Season Repairs; PJM Asked All Generators To Remain Online To Help Prevent Blackouts, But Some Plants Remained Offline 

Resource Links:

-- Utility Dive: US Dept. Of Energy Grants PJM Request For Emergency Order To Curtail A.I. Data Center Use Of Electricity From The Grid And Go To Back-Up Generators To Cope With May 18-20 Hot Weather Alert  [PaEN] 

-- PJM Interconnection: Extends Maximum Generation Alert To May 19; Issues Pre-Emergency Demand Response Call To 3 Utilities; Hot Weather Alert Extended To May 20 For Mid-Atlantic Zone  [PaEN] 

[Posted: May 19, 2026]  PA Environment Digest