Balancing Authority

A balancing authority is the operator responsible for keeping electricity supply and demand matched in real time within its own area of the United States grid, the American equivalent of a European bidding zone but built around reliability rather than a single market price. The EIA publishes hourly demand, generation by fuel and interchange with neighbouring areas for around 60 of these areas. Their footprints follow utility service territories and grid history rather than state lines, so sizes vary enormously, from a single utility to an area spanning several states.