ERCOT expects tight grid conditions, requests conservation Monday morning

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) – The following news release has been shared by the ERCOT:

Due to continued freezing temperatures, very high demand, and unseasonably low wind, operating reserves are expected to be low during the morning hours of Monday, January 15, prior to the solar ramp up. As a result, ERCOT is asking Texans to conserve electricity use, if safe to do so, Monday, January 15, from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. CT. ERCOT is expecting similar conditions on Tuesday, January 16, and will continue to closely monitor conditions and keep the public informed through our communication channels.

Tomorrow’s conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time. ERCOT will remain vigilant and communicate further if conditions change because of continued freezing temperatures and very high demand in the morning hours. At this time, if you are experiencing an outage, it is local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability. Please check with your local electric provider for more information.

Conservation is a widely used industry tool that can help lower demand for a specific period of peak demand time, which is typically during the morning hours in winter.

ERCOT is requesting all government agencies (including city and county offices) to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities until at least 10am tomorrow.

ERCOT continues to use additional tools to manage the grid reliably, including using reserve power, calling upon reductions by large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their energy use, and bringing more generation online sooner. ERCOT is also working with out-of-state Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Market Participants to obtain additional power generation capacity, if available. ERCOT has obtained Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) enforcement discretion, which allows a generator to extend its service/run-time/operations to help meet demand, if needed, and maintain grid reliability.

Energy-saving tips can be found on the TXANS webpage at ercot.com/txans.

Why the Request to Reduce Usage?

Weather. Most of Texas is seeing extremely cold temperatures for an extended period of time.Demand. Texas is experiencing record breaking demand due to the cold weather.Solar. Solar generation isn’t available in the early morning hours, which is a peak demand time during winter, and slowly ramps up as the sun rises.Wind. Wind generation is forecasted to be lower than seasonally expected in the early morning hours.

Peak Demand

In 2023, January peak demand reached 65,632 MW, with the current all-time peak demand record of 85,508 MW set on August 10, 2023. The all-time winter peak demand record of 74,525 MW was set December 23, 2022, in the 7-8 a.m. hour during Winter Storm Elliott.

Consumer Assistance

Public Utility Commission of Texas Hotline: 1-888-782-8477

Stay Updated

Sign up for TXANS notifications on the TXANS webpage.Download the ERCOT Mobile App for additional notifications: iOS | Android.Monitor real-time and extended conditions at ercot.com.Subscribe to ERCOT Emergency Alerts, which are not sent through TXANS notifications.Follow ERCOT on Twitter (@ERCOT_ISO), Facebook (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), and LinkedIn (ERCOT).