ERCOT requests to increase operating reserves for upcoming winter

Texas - The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to stakeholders to increase reserves for the upcoming winter season.

According to ERCOT, the request asks to increase reserves up to an additional 3,000 MW for the 2023-24 season.

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"Our request to procure capacity in advance of winter is part of our continued commitment to maintain grid reliability and resiliency," said ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas. "ERCOT is not projecting energy emergency conditions this winter season, but we want to be prepared and ensure all available tools are readily available if needed."

The RFP seeks capacity from both dispatchable generation and demand response solutions for the period between Dec. 1 to Feb. 29, 2024.

This capacity request is based on various factors, including substantial peak load growth since the previous winter, recent and planned retirements of dispatchable Generation Resources, and the impact of recent extreme winter weather events.

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According to the Monthly Outlook for Resource Adequacy (MORA) report, if conditions during the peak demand hour of the winter 2023-2024 season, typically in the morning, were similar to those experienced during Winter Storm Elliott in December 2022, the likelihood of entering emergency conditions would exceed ERCOT's acceptable elevated-risk threshold.