Pawnee Alerts Residents Of Potential Power Shutoff; GRDA Stresses Warning Is Normal Precaution

The city of Pawnee urged residents to be prepared because it is possible power could shut off sometime in the coming days.

The city said the Grand River Dam Authority is struggling to meet demands for natural gas and the weather is impacting their wind turbines. If power shutoffs occur, the school building will serve as an emergency shelter.

GRDA said this is a normal precaution during extreme cold temperatures and stress that they have not made a decision to cut power anywhere.

Read the full statement from GRDA CEO Dan Sullivan below.

No announcements or emergency declarations have been made that would require any reduction of electricity delivery to any GRDA customer at this time.  

GRDA is always mindful of maintaining grid stability and reliability. Out of an abundance of caution, GRDA reached out to its industrial and municipal customers in an effort to highlight the difficulties over the next several days related to extreme cold temperatures. During any time of extreme temperatures, hot or cold, conservation measures are taken to reduce peak demand in an effort to preserve system reliability. Extreme temperatures stress all utility delivery systems whether it is water, electric or natural gas.

GRDA does not independently make decisions related to curtailment of its delivery of electric power to its customers. However, preparation for severe weather is always a consideration and proper planning is key to maintaining system integrity.