ERCOT calls for Texans to use less energy this week

A high number of outages in Texas, combined with potential record electric use, has caused the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to ask residents to reduce electric use as much as possible through June 18.

Generator owners have reported approximately 11,000 MW of generation is on forced outage for repairs. Of that amount, approximately 8,000 MW is thermal, and the rest is intermittent resources. According to the summer Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy, a typical range of thermal generation outages on hot summer days is around 3,600 MW.

“We will be conducting a thorough analysis with generation owners to determine why so many units are out of service,” ERCOT Vice President of Grid Planning and Operations Woody Rickerson said. “This is unusual for this early in the summer season.”

The peak load forecast was expected to exceed 73,000 MW, which would beat the previous June record of 69,123 MW set on June 27, 2018, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

ERCOT is asking residents to set their thermostat to 78 degrees or higher as every degree of cooling increases your energy use by six to eight percent. They also ask Texans to turn off lights and pool pumps and avoid using large appliances like ovens, washing machines, and dryers. And if an electric device is not needed, turn it off or unplug it.

AEP Texas is also asking its customers to conserve energy this week, echoing ERCOT’s call.