Power outages across the Great Lakes region as a Bomb Cyclone moved thru with wind gusts exceeding 50 mph.
Power was down here in my neighborhood yesterday as tree limbs heavy from icy rain came crashing down all over.
Storms are not unusual in the Great Lakes region, but for those who regularly deal with the consequences of weather, there is a recognition of an unmistakeable climate signal.
Jackson-based Consumers Energy reported third-quarter earnings Thursday, highlighting the cost-cutting initiatives the utility has taken after the high restoration costs associated with a near-record level of storm activity this year, it said.
“Over the last 20 years, we’ve seen an increase in both the frequency of storms and higher wind speeds, some of the most extreme winds within the last four years,” Garrick Rochow, president and CEO of Consumers Energy, said on the call. “We’re clearly seeing the effects of climate change.”
For example, he said the design standard for its system was to withstand 40 mph winds. Now, that’s been changed to 80 mph.
• Damage to utility infrastructure from extreme weather
leads to immediate repair costs, which are recovered from
customers in the form of higher electricity prices
• The magnitude of the costs can fluctuate, influenced by
the frequency and severity of extreme weather events as
well as the resilience of the utility’s system: East and Gulf
coast states have experienced disproportionate impacts
• Price impacts can be temporary or long-term, depending
on regulatory treatment, whether the costs are CapEx or
OpEx, and whether securitization is used
• The scope of natural disasters and varying rate recovery
makes it challenging to identify trends, as data are
dispersed across multiple events, utilities, and jurisdictions
• In Florida, damage from Hurricane Debby, Helene, and
Milton in 2024 resulted in 1- to 1.5- year residential price
increases from 1.2 to 3.2 cents/kWh in 2025
• Central Maine Power’s storm recovery costs grew from
~0.1 cents/kWh at the end of 2020 to ~1.8 cents/kWh at
the end of 2024 (and 3.2 cents/kWh at end of 2025)
- Power outages across the United States are getting longer, according to a recent survey by JD Power, which cites “increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events.”
- The average length of the longest power outage has increased in all regions since 2022, from 8.1 hours to 12.8 by the midpoint of 2025. Customers in the South reported the longest outages, averaging out at 18.2 hours, followed by the West at 12.4 hours, it said.
- Mark Spalinger, director of utilities intelligence at J.D. Power, said in an interview that while the duration of outages is increasing, the number of customers experiencing them is not. In fact, over time, the percentage of people who experience “perfect power” without any interruptions is gradually rising. However, disasters like storms and fires “are becoming so much more extreme that it creates these longer outage events that utilities are now having to deal with,” he said.
FYI, Germany, with about half its electric generation from renewables, measures annual power outages to the average customer in minutes. Much of the German grid is protected underground, a costlier process but definitely pays dividends.
Takeaway – reliable power is much more a function of a resilient grid than the particular power mix.
As renewable energy sources replace fossil fuels, many worry about the intermittent nature of sun, wind, and other natural forces. Weather, seasonal, and daily fluctuations could affect grid functionality and reliability.
However, a study in Nature Energy challenges the assumption that renewable energy sources weaken grid performance. Instead, this study suggests that power grids with more renewables are less vulnerable to blackouts. Outages are less frequent, have shorter durations, and affect fewer users.
Germany changed by 2022 from a net power exporter, especially in winter, to a net importer – now in all months of the year, but most in winter. Net annual generation has fallen by about 10% from the average of the last decade. France is the largest donor.
Does Germany send any power to France during the heat waves that require shutting down some reactors?