A thin layer of snow coats building and roads near downtown Fort Worth on Monday, January 15, 2024.
AMANDA MCCOY [email protected]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
By James Hartley
ERCOT is warning of potential power grid problems Tuesday morning amid deadly cold temperatures, according to a news release.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages most of the state’s energy production and grid, said in the release that with freezing temperatures, high demand and low wind, its operating reserves will be low before solar energy ramps up. It is asking Texans to conserve energy from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The same request was made Monday morning. The Monday conservation request expired and grid conditions were normal late Monday morning. But it’s expected to be around 11 degrees in Dallas-Fort Worth early Tuesday morning, and ERCOT forecasts higher demand Tuesday if Texans return to work and schools reopen.
The council is also asking all government agencies, including city and county offices, to reduce energy use until at least 9 a.m. Tuesday.
ERCOT expects similar conditions on Wednesday and may make another appeal.
The appeal for energy conservation “does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time,” according to the news release.
ERCOT has been panned in recent years as winter storms become the norm for much of Texas and the state has experienced outages and poor reliability, creating dangerous situations. In February 2021, millions were left without power and hundreds died from cold exposure.
The growing reputation for being unreliable has left ERCOT in hot water with lawmakers, watchdogs and activists.
ERCOT’s all-time peak demand record was 85,508 MW on Aug. 10, 2023.
The all-time winter peak demand record was broken Monday with 75,559 MW in the 9-10 a.m. hour, the council said. The previous winter record was 74,535 MW on Dec. 23, 2022, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. during Winter Storm Elliott.
The request to limit energy usage is one method used to manage grid reliability, according to ERCOT. The council also uses reserve power, reductions of use by big energy consumers and bringing generation online sooner to deal with high demand. It also works without out-of-state operators and people who produce their own electricity to buy additional power, along with permission from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to run generators longer than the commission usually allows.
ERCOT said in a statement that it was able to avoid emergency operations Monday “due to the conservation efforts by Texas residents and businesses, combined with additional grid reliability tools.”
Energy-saving tips are online at ercot.com/txans#tips and include lowering your thermostat by a degree or two, avoiding use of large appliances like washers and dryers, and turning off and unplugging non-essential lights and appliances.
Amanda [email protected]