What happens if a Balancing Authority's ACE is significantly negative due to generator failure?

When a Balancing Authority's Area Control Error (ACE) is significantly negative due to generator failure, it indicates that the generation is falling short of the load requirement within that area. This situation necessitates corrective action to ensure stability and compliance with operational standards.

Specifically, if the ACE remains significantly negative, it can lead to violations of the Disturbance Control Standard (DCS). The DCS requires Balancing Authorities to maintain their control error within certain limits to ensure the reliability of the power system. Therefore, immediate actions must be taken to correct the situation, which may include increasing generation from other resources, reducing load, or implementing other grid management strategies to bring the ACE back within acceptable parameters.

This need for correction highlights the importance of maintaining a balanced and reliable grid, as persistent negative ACE can have broader implications for system reliability and may trigger further regulatory scrutiny or operational challenges.