North America Electric Reliability Council

A group that was formed in 1968 by electric companies to promote the reliability and adequacy of power supplies. NERC produces reliability reports to draw attention to situations that might restrict the available power supply. Every spring, NERC conducts a widely watched study of reliability to identify any areas of potential supply problems during the summer, when strong demand for air conditioning may potentially cause power shortages. NERC is made up of ten regional reliability councils and encompasses essentially all the power regions of the contiguous United States, Canada, and Mexico. The NERC regions are Alaskan System Coordination Council (ASCC); East Central Reliability Coordination Agree-ment (ECAR); Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCO); Mid-America Interpool Network (MAIN); Mid-Atlantic Area Council (MAAC); Mid-Continent Area Power Pool (MAPP); Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC); South-eastern Electric Reliability Council (SERC); Southwest Power Pool (SPP); and Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC).