Texas power grid: ERCOT issues conservation appeal for Sunday, Aug. 27
For a fourth day in a row, ERCOT is asking Texas residents and businesses to conserve electricity use, if safe to do so.
The conservation appeal has been issued from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
According to ERCOT, operating reserves are expected to be low during that time due to low wind and potential low solar generation and high demand.
ERCOT says the conservation appeal doesn’t indicate that ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions right now, but forecasts show the potential to enter emergency operations Sunday evening.
FILE PHOTO. The sun sets behind power transmission lines in Texas, the United States. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua via Getty Images)
ERCOT is asking all government agencies to implement programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.
ERCOT says they are also using additional tools to manage the grid reliability including using reserve power, calling on large electric customers that have volunteered to lower their usage, bringing more generation online sooner, and working with out-of-state Independent System Operators (ISOs) and Market Participants to get more power generation capacity.
ERCOT has issued a conservation appeal daily since Thursday afternoon. ERCOT says they were able to avoid emergency operations Saturday due to conservation efforts, wind improvements and additional grid reliability tools.
An ERCOT Weather Watch went into effect on Wednesday and was set to remain in effect until Sunday.
Texans can see grid conditions and forecasts on the ERCOT dashboard.