As Louisiana settles into its hot summer season, restaurants like mine welcome a new influx of customers. We see families looking for a break from the heat and diners eager to enjoy our pool and explore the latest additions to Lost Coyote’s menu. 

But over Memorial Day weekend, everything came to a sudden stop. A power outage left thousands of homes and businesses in New Orleans in the dark.  For businesses like mine, it meant a pause on food preparation, no way to keep customers cool, and an inability to process digital payments. 

Lost Coyote was on track for its first record-profit day when the outage brought it all to a standstill.

The reality is that this power outage wasn’t an unfortunate coincidence, but a longstanding problem. Our reliance on volatile power-generation sources and years of delays in upgrading an outdated transmission grid has created a system where outages on sunny days will become even more common. 

Here’s what happened on Memorial Day: Several major power plants went offline just as record-high temperatures in New Orleans sent energy demand soaring. Even though other regions had extra power, Louisiana couldn’t import it.

Why? Because our state’s energy grid — part of the MISO South network — isn’t very well connected to the broader MISO system. That lack of connectivity left New Orleans stranded during its time of need. When a plant goes offline in South Louisiana, we can’t easily pull in power from other parts of Louisiana or from other states, even though it’s available.

Other parts of the MISO grid have invested in long-term transmission upgrades to prevent exactly this kind of crisis — but not Louisiana. Regulators haven’t acted — and as a result, businesses like mine and my neighbors are left to deal with the consequences of an outdated grid and a regulatory system that hasn’t kept up.

Our costs increase when utilities don’t plan

It’s not just about the lights going out. Costs increase when utilities like Entergy scramble to buy expensive emergency power. 

The companies that failed to plan ahead aren’t the ones footing the bill. We pay, through fuel cost adjustments and higher utility bills.

Entergy never misses a beat when it comes to collecting fees or shutting off power over a missed payment. But when it comes to its most basic responsibility of keeping the lights on and businesses open, we’re the ones left paying the price.

With summer temperatures continuing to rise, local businesses can’t afford to be left in the dark again. Each outage makes it even harder for our business community to recover and grow.

The good news is the solutions are available. Long-term regional transmission planning is already working in other states to lower costs and improve reliability.

Summer temperatures are only going to keep rising. We need a stronger, smarter, more connected grid before the next heatwave pushes us past the breaking point. It’s time for the Louisiana Public Service Commission and the New Orleans City Council to step up.

Colin Kennedy owns and operates the Lost Coyote Restaurant and Bar in New Orleans.