What could happen if an Interconnection Reliability Operating Limit (IROL) is exceeded for longer than the allowable time?

When an Interconnection Reliability Operating Limit (IROL) is exceeded for longer than the allowable time, it can lead to serious consequences for the Bulk Electric System (BES). IROLs are established to ensure that the system operates reliably, maintaining the balance between generation and load while ensuring that it can withstand potential contingencies without risking stability.

If an IROL is exceeded, the system may become increasingly vulnerable to cascading failures, which could result in widespread disruptions. This may manifest as an interruption of power to a significant portion of the BES, impacting millions of customers and critical services. The purpose of IROLs is to prevent these types of failures by ensuring that the power system operates within safe limits.

In contrast, improvement of system efficiency, increase in generation output, and reduction of load demand would not be expected outcomes as a result of exceeding IROLs. Instead, those options do not address the immediate risks and potential for instability created when IROL limits are breached. The focus is on maintaining the reliability and integrity of the power grid, where exceeding these limits poses risks that require immediate corrective actions to prevent larger-scale outages or failure of the system.