Texas Electricity Regulator Warns Residents and Businesses Not to reduce the amount of power they’re using on Monday because the heat index was expected to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, straining the state’s electrical grid and potentially leading to rolling blackouts across the state.
Thermostats should be turned at least one degree Fahrenheit and large appliances should not be used from 2 to 8 p.m. Central time on Monday, according to a regulator warning, the Texas Electric Reliability Councilwhich manages about 90 percent of the state’s electrical load.
ERCOT does not expect a system-wide outage. The warning is one step ahead of a level 1 power emergency, which would allow the regulator to tap electricity from other grids nearby when reserves are dangerously low. If the situation worsens, ERCOT may order transmission companies to cut off power to industrial customers and domestic consumers.
In a separate statement, the Texas regulator warned that the amount of reserve power could be: dangerously low if demand rises more than forecast, and that there would be “no market solution”. Less than 10 percent of installed wind power will be available Monday, ERCOT said, further reducing available electricity.
The regulator predicted that demand in Texas will peak at 79,671 megawatts, just below the 80,168 megawatts that will be available. At 2 p.m., ERCOT shifted from “normal conditions” to “conservation warning, reduce power consumption,” as temperatures in Houston reached 99 degrees and areas including Laredo as high as 105 degrees. The load was 76,499 megawatts.
Local news stories have suggested that the power grid in Texas, which has failed in previous heat waves and natural disasterscould be at its breaking point.
“The heat wave that has settled in Texas and much of the central United States is driving increased electrical use,” ERCOT said in a statement Sunday. “While solar energy is generally nearing full generating capacity, wind generation currently generates significantly less than what it has historically generated during this period.”
About 50 million people in the United States were under heat warnings or advice on weekends, including about half of Texas. Frank Pereira, a meteorologist with the Weather Service, described the conditions as “stuffy” and “dangerous”.
The heat wave started last week in the Central Plains and the southeastern United States and has moved west. Most of the advice was given in parts of Arizona, Texas and Alabama.
Isabella Grullon Pazi reporting contributed.