Once taken for granted, power supply is an issue that has risen to national attention as consumers watch Californians deal with rolling blackouts, exorbitant energy prices, potential bankruptcy of a major utility and a state bailout costing taxpayers millions of dollars. It's a situation that's been developing, but it's a new concept to most Oklahoma citizens who expect power to be there when they flip on a switch.
Planning is especially important in order to prepare for the hot days of summer.
Last year customer demand was so high the price of wholesale power soared to record levels. In order to meet that high demand, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. in Springfield, Mo., KAMO's supplier of power for its northeast Oklahoma rural electric cooperative members, supplemented its own generation with electricity purchased on the open market. During 1999 and 2000, Associated moved record amounts of power across its transmission grid to meet the needs of members. Due to careful management, Associated's system was up to the task and the summer passed without any major problems. Some saw sporadic brownouts and blackouts.