(MSC News)--The extremely cold temperatures and windchills this week have led to the use of planned rolling blackouts in an effort to avoid longer term outages. 
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, on video, addressed questions regarding the situation, with her presentation shared below. 

Editor's note: Below is a release issued Tuesday afternoon, February 16, by the Southwest Power Pool:

As of 12:31 p.m. Central time, SPP has downgraded the energy emergency alert (EEA) to a Level 1. This is declared when all available resources have been committed to meet obligations, and SPP is at risk of not meeting required operating reserves.

SPP previously declared a move from EEA Level 3 to EEA Level 2 at 11:30 a.m. Central time.

SPP’s forecasts anticipate that due to high load and persistent cold weather, it is likely its system will fluctuate between EEA levels over the next 48 hours.

While SPP works to maintain regional reliability, we continue to urge our member companies to instruct consumers across our service territory to conserve electricity at home and work, and to follow their local utility’s directions regarding safety, conservation, and potential outages.