With triple-digit temperatures and less wind and sunlight expected Thursday, strained conditions on the Texas power grid are expected again in the afternoon and evening, prompting a call for protection from ERCOT.
“Due to continued high temperatures, high demand, weak winds and declining solar generation this afternoon, operating reserves are expected to be low into the afternoon and evening hours,” ERCOT said in a statement late Thursday morning. “ERCOT is not in emergency mode and controlled outages are not required at this time.”
ERCOT’s supply and demand dashboard again showed a tightening between supply and demand for the afternoon, with demand exceeding supply after 7 p.m
ERCOT asked Texans to limit their energy use on Thursday from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
NBC 5 meteorologist Kevan Smith talks about the Texas power grid and the causes of strain, as well as how weather is impacting calls for energy conservation.
On Wednesday, ERCOT issued a Level 2 Energy Emergency Alert Wednesday evening due to reduced energy reserves. It was the first time since 2021 that the authority declared an alert level 2 due to dwindling reserves.
Texans heard the call and saved enough electricity to prevent “load shedding,” or rolling blackouts, on Wednesday.
ERCOT withdrew from emergency operations and said the grid had returned to normal operations Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, a weather warning issued earlier this week remains in effect until September 8th.
ERCOT has various Energy Emergency Alert Levels, or EEAs. Under normal network conditions the levels are “float alarm” and then “EEA 1”, “2” and “3”.
Here’s what the alert levels mean:
- Conservation warning: This is a voluntary request to reduce electricity consumption, ERCOT said. Although ERCOT said it is not in emergency operations, it is asking the public and “all government agencies to implement all programs to reduce energy consumption at their facilities.”
- Energy emergency level 1: Conservation is considered critical. We reach this stage when operating reserves fall below 2,300 MW and recovery is not expected within 30 minutes.
- Emergency level 2: Triggered when reserves are less than 1,750 MW and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes. At this point, ERCOT can reduce the load on the system by cutting power to large industrial customers who have contractually agreed to have their power shut off in an emergency.
- Emergency level 3: The final level will be reached when reserves fall below 1,430 MW. If the operating reserves then fall below 1,000 MW and restoration is not expected within 30 minutes and/or the grid frequency level cannot be maintained at 60 Hz, ERCOT introduces “controlled outages”, also known as rolling blackouts.
What can I do to help?
ERCOT is urging Texans to take simple energy conservation measures to reduce demand on the grid.
- Raise the thermostat by a degree or two if it is safe to do so.
- Avoid using large appliances such as washers and dryers.
- Turn off and unplug non-essential lights and devices.
- Set pool pumps to run early in the morning or overnight rather than at peak times.
Why the request to reduce usage?
- Heat. Persistently high temperatures across the country.
- Demand. Texas is seeing high demand due to the heat.
- Solar. Solar energy production begins to decline in the afternoon hours towards the end of summer before switching off completely at sunset.
- Wind. Wind generation is forecast to be low during peak demand this evening.
Visit the PUCT’s Power to Save website for tips on reducing electricity consumption in homes and businesses. For more energy saving tips, visit TXANS (ercot.com).
Peak demand
- ERCOT set a new, unofficial all-time peak demand record of 85,435 MW on August 10, 2023.
- ERCOT set a new September peak demand record of 81,674 MW on September 5, 2023, surpassing the previous September peak of 78,459 MW set on September 4.
- This summer, ERCOT set ten new all-time peak demand records.
- Last summer, ERCOT set 11 new peak load records, peaking at 80,148 MW on July 20.
Consumer assistance
- Public Utility Commission of Texas Hotline: 1-888-782-8477
To stay up to date
- Sign up for TXANS alerts on TXANS
- Download the ERCOT Mobile App for additional alerts: iOS| Android.
- Monitor real-time and advanced conditions on ercot.com.
- Subscribe to ERCOT emergency alerts not sent via TXANS notifications.
- Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO), Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) and LinkedIn (ERCOT).