LITTLE ROCK, A.R.(DRGNews & AlphaMedia)- People in South Dakota and about a dozen other states in the central part of the US are being asked to continue conserving energy this morning to help reduce the huge demand on the electrical power grid brought on by widespread and extreme cold weather conditions.

The Southwest Power Pool is a regional transmission organization that oversees the bulk electric grid and wholesale power market on behalf of a group of utilities and transmission companies in 14 states. SPP issued its first ever Emergency Energy Alert 3 this week signaling that its operating reserves were below the required minimum.

President and CEO Barbara Sugg says directing their member utilities to implement controlled interruptions– or rolling blackouts– of service was a difficult decision to make.

Sugg says managing an area from Canada to Texas provides opportunity to distribute power disruptions.

Lanny Nickell is the Chief Operating Officer for the Southwest Power Pool…

Nickell says the blackouts were not due to a lack of cooperation…

Most of the blackouts were less than two hours in length for individual customers.