The grid is indeed dying. I have engineered some score of nukes, two score fossil plants, and assessed advanced technologies, e.g. superconductivity, nanotechnology, ultracapcitors for a decade. As noted in the comments, the controls are computerized, and modern. But the basic piping, bearings, furnaces, pressure vessels, etc. are worn out. I have walked past a turbine spinning at 3600 RPM, which had a cracked shaft, seen motors rotted into gravel, and used as built drawings which had no relation to reality (the BP blow out valve problem.)
The smart grid is an economic lie. It carries an unpayable price. The sole future options for the US grid is several hundred coal and nuclear power plants, or no juice. Since we no longer have the engineering talent to build them, my guess is no juice.