The Texas power grid can be extended under cold, continuous cuts or shutdowns as early as tonight: ERCOT

The Texas power grid manager prepares a record of electricity usage while managing unusually high power generation issues. These problems could lead to blackouts, similar to the 2011 winter storm that caused the same result, officials said.

The CEO of Texas Electric Reliability Council of Texas, better known as ERCOT, announced Sunday that the supply of natural gas to power plants was limited and that some wind turbines had frozen. ERCOT has a network condition alert system that is now in a state of conservation alert as consumption increases statewide.

That’s a step up from earlier this week, when Nick Natario of ABC13 spoke to ERCOT when conditions were normal.

“We are experiencing record electricity demand due to the extreme cold temperatures that have affected Texas,” said Bill Magness, president and CEO of ERCOT. “At the same time, we are facing higher-than-normal generation sizes. We are asking jeans to take simple, safe measures to reduce their energy consumption during this time.”

ERCOT in 2011 had to cut off the power supply to at least one million Texas homes during a cold snap it recorded that year.

The outlook for the system predicted very tight conditions, including the possibility that demand could exceed available power some Sunday, according to the ERCOT website. A spokesman confirmed the outlook and said emergency conditions could be activated as early as tonight.

The similarities with the two situations are hard to miss: both systems brought significantly colder temperatures, left roads passable with ice and snow, and caused some electrical installations to go offline due to the cold, leaving the State without enough energy. In 2011, the state imported electricity from Mexico, ABC13 reported at the time.

Magness said lowering the heaters to 68 degrees, closing shadows to help keep warm, and turning off non-essential appliances and lights can help conserve energy during the cold.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned Saturday that all of Texas is facing an unprecedented winter storm and said he was calling for a federal declaration of disaster before the storm. Abbott has already issued a state declaration of disaster.

FROM SATURDAY: Governor Abbott urges energy conservation, according to demand, which may exceed supply

ABC13 answers your main questions about winter weather