Texans fear blackouts as electricity demand stresses power grid
Texas's power grid operator held off from imposing rolling blackouts on Monday, using voluntary cutbacks and appeals to conserve energy as scorching triple-digit temperatures hit much of the state.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) warned of a potential shortage in reserves "with no market solution available." Its website showed the operator entered late afternoon with about 3,600 megawatts of operating reserves - which could power three-quarters of a million homes.
"We have approached all Texans and Texas businesses to conserve energy," an ERCOT spokesperson said via email, adding the grid was not currently in emergency mode.
Unlike other U.S. states operated by two national power grids in the western and eastern regions of the country, Texas largely runs on its own independent power grid.
Michael Webber, professor in energy resources at University of Texas at Austin, said Texas’ isolation from other power grids has advantages for innovation but encounters problems when demand for electricity surges during the hotter and colder months of the year.
“The good news is we’ve been able to experiment with market design. We’ve been able to build a lot of things like transmission lines and power plants and wind farms and solar farms,” Webber said. “The bad news is when times are tough; we can’t lean on our neighbours for help. And when they’re having a tough time, we can’t help them out.”
In Houston, city officials said municipal buildings doubling as cooling centres are equipped with backup generators in case of blackouts. Houston Fire Department Chief Samuel Peña said his agency is prepared for the worst, from using backup power to even relocating to respond to emergencies.
“Worst case scenario is if we need to relocate, we will do what we need to do to ensure that we’re ready to deploy for the next 911 call,” Peña said.
ERCOT assured residents earlier this year that it had enough reserves to meet demand after millions of people suffered without power through a deep freeze in early 2021 for several days.
Since May, the state "has set and broken power demand records 26 times without any systemwide issues or disruptions," said a spokesperson for Governor Greg Abbott. "Each time there is a call for conservation, Texans step up and do their part."
High or dangerous heat levels were felt across much of the state on Monday, with temperatures in Austin hitting 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) and Houston touching 100 Fahrenheit at 3 p.m., according to the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS).
ERCOT asked residents to conserve electricity between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., saying demand could reach 79,934 megawatts (MW) on Monday and 80,104 MW on Tuesday, not far from Monday's expected 80,200 MW of available reserves.
One megawatt can power about 200 homes on a hot summer day in Texas.
Texas last called for energy conservation in May, during an earlier heat wave that drove up prices to more than $4,000 a megawatt-hour after six generators tripped offline.
The state's day-ahead market has several hours on Monday afternoon listed at more than $1,000 a megawatt-hour and one at over $2,000, which is more than twice the peak price on Sunday.
