Summer Reliability Report for Minnesota and region shows “elevated risk of supply shortfalls” during heat waves or abnormal weather

The Minnesota Rural Electric Association (MREA) is drawing attention to a new report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which warns of an “elevated risk of operating reserve shortfalls” in Minnesota and surrounding states during the summer of 2025. The report highlights areas that “face risks of electricity supply shortfalls during periods of more extreme summer conditions.”

NERC regularly monitors demand and resources in regions across North America. In its latest report, the 2025 Summer Reliability Assessment, it identifies the reduction in coal and natural gas generation plants as one of the reasons for the elevated rating for potential reliability issues across the country. “With higher demand and less firm resources, [the Midcontinent Independent System Operator] is at elevated risk of operating reserve shortfalls during periods of high demand or low resource output,” according to the report.

“This report is like your car’s dashlights coming on,” said Darrick Moe, president and CEO of the Minnesota Rural Electric Association. “If you keep operating with the warning lights flashing, problems are sure to come. We must heed these warnings and slow down the retirement of power resources that are available on demand and those that run 24-7 every day of the year.” 

“Wind and solar can help with reliability, but also, as the report says, those resources only provide a fraction of their output when needed to keep the grid reliable,” Moe added. 

MREA takes an “all-tech-on-deck” approach — meaning a variety of resources are needed to keep electricity flowing during all conditions.

“In order to keep reliability strong in Minnesota, MREA formed a large coalition of stakeholders this year to work to remove the moratorium on building new carbon free nuclear power in Minnesota,” Moe said, “We encourage our elected officials to lift the nuclear moratorium soon.”

MREA encourages interested parties to read the report, which can be found at NERC.com. The report is for the region and does not mean any power supplier in Minnesota projects a shortfall and the inability to meet their obligations.