AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, issued an alert on Tuesday, April 13, shortly after 4:30 p.m., warning of possible “emergency conditions,” but did not expect power outages.
On Twitter, ERCOT said: “Due to a combination of typical high-generation cuts in April and higher-than-expected demand caused by a stagnant cold front in TX, ERCOT may enter emergency conditions. we expect customer outages. Declaring an emergency would allow us to access additional resources “.
Warning: Due to a combination of typical high generation outages in April and higher-than-expected demand caused by a stagnant cold front in TX, ERCOT may enter emergency conditions. We do not expect customer outages. Declaring an emergency would allow us to access additional resources.
– ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) April 13, 2021
In February, widespread power outages left millions of jeans without electricity, heat and running water during two winter storms that caused single-digit temperatures.
ERCOT says it manages the flow of electricity to more than 26 million Texas customers, representing 90% of the state’s electric charge.
Woody Rickerson, ERCOT’s vice president of network planning and operations, said ERCOT hoped a fresh front that stalled across central Texas would continue its progress statewide, lowering temperatures as it did. .
The fact that the front stagnated caused higher-than-expected demand, he said, adding that demand declined as the afternoon sun faded, but could repeat conservation resources. for the next three or four weeks.
However, 32,000 megawatts of generating capacity had been disconnected, accounting for about 25 percent of the system’s capacity, Rickerson said.
He repaired any damage caused by the deadly February cold snap, he said.
“These outages are maintenance outages that plants have taken to prepare for summer operations,” Rickerson said at a telephone press conference. “It’s usually the time of year when we allow a lot of maintenance outages for units preparing for the summer when there’s not enough bandwidth for them to stop.”
Rickerson considered the decision to allow generator shutdown for seasonal maintenance to be “an act of balancing” with narrow margins of error between supply and demand. Since ERCOT is a standalone network completely within the borders of Texas, it is not subject to federal regulation. It also means the ERCOT grid does not have access to the spot electricity market from other U.S. power grids, Rickerson said.
Minutes after Tuesday’s first tweet, ERCOT asked jeans to conserve energy at night.
ERCOT is requesting energy conservation at this time. Consumers and businesses are being asked to reduce electricity consumption this afternoon and into the evening.
– ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) April 13, 2021
Customers can help each other by following the ERCOT conservation steps:
· Turn off unnecessary equipment and lights.
· Raise the thermostat from 2 to 3 degrees.
· Set programmable thermostats to higher temperatures when no one is home.
· Use fans to feel cool 4 to 6 degrees.
· Limit the use of large appliances (ie dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, etc.).
· If cooking indoors, use a microwave or slow cooker.
· Close the blinds and curtains during the afternoon.
· Schedule pool pumps to run early in the morning or at night.
On Tuesday at 20:40 in the afternoon, ERCOT tweeted: “Our energy conservation resource has ended without the need for an energy emergency. Thank you for conserving energy when needed. “
Our appeal for energy conservation has ended without the need for an energy emergency. Thank you for conserving energy when needed.
– ERCOT (@ERCOT_ISO) April 14, 2021