The situation
Your starting point
You start in 2000 with oil, gas and coal plants serving an island grid. There are years to build before the scenario's major hurricane, but the utility still has to operate and pay its bills in the meantime.
Storm damage can affect several plants together. The spare capacity that covers an ordinary outage may be too little for an emergency that also puts pressure on fuel costs.
The choices
What will you do?
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Build before repairs are needed
Decide how much preparation you can afford while the grid is operating normally. New construction takes time that an emergency will not give back.
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Consider what can fail together
Look beyond the loss of one plant. Compare a larger reserve with a fleet whose sources do not all share the same weaknesses.
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Fund the recovery
Keep cash available for the period of reduced output and expensive fuel. Restoring supply and staying solvent are part of the same job.
Put your plan to the test
What would a utility built with hurricane recovery in mind do differently?
Build, watch what happens, and try a different approach. The grid is yours to run.
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Deep Freeze
A grid built for Texas heat is about to face a very different test. You have four years to prepare for the February 2021 freeze.
Explore scenario -
Wildfire Emergency
Most of your spare power comes from somewhere else. In early 2025, wildfire will cut the capacity of your northern connection by 90%.
Explore scenario -
Paradise
There is plenty of sun and wind. There is also an imported-oil bill, and no neighboring grid to call when local supply falls short.
Explore scenario