ERCOT asks Texans to conserve electricity usage for third straight day
The Texas electric grid is asking residents to conserve electricity usage as ERCOT’s operations are expected to be low Saturday.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said in a news release that their operating reserves are expected to be low Saturday afternoon and evening due to low wind and potential low solar generation and high demand.
Saturday marks the third day in a row ERCOT has asked Texans to conserve electricity usage from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., if safe to do so.
“Yesterday, ERCOT avoided emergency operations due to the conservation efforts by Texas residents and businesses, combined with additional grid reliability tools,” the release said.
But ERCOT says that the conservation appeal does not indicate that the grid is experiencing emergency conditions at this time.
Current forecasts, however, show a potential to enter emergency operations Saturday evening due to the low wind and solar generation, according to the release.
According to the release, ERCOT set a new, unofficial peak demand record of 85,435 megawatts of electricity usage on Aug. 10, 2023.
ERCOT said they will closely monitor conditions throughout the day, but also ask government agencies — including city and county offices — to reduce energy use at their facilities.
Energy-saving tips can be found at ERCOT’s Texas Advisory and Notification System website.
The Texas electricity grid says that if residents are experiencing outages at this time, it is local in nature and is not related to overall grid reliability. Residents should check with their local electricity providers for more information.
