Half of US Is at Risk of Losing Power During Extreme Cold (1)

Power grids that supply more than half of the US population may run short of electricity during an extended cold snap or severe storm over the coming winter, according to industry regulators.

Regional system operators in a vast swath of the country stretching from Texas to New England are “at risk of insufficient electricity supplies during peak winter conditions,” the North American Electric Reliability Corp. said Wednesday in its winter reliability assessment, which also showed Quebec and Saskatchewan facing the threat of power shortfalls.

The outlook is even more dire than last year’s report, which said a quarter of ...