Texas power grid tensioned by cold, interruptions or possible blackouts as soon as tonight: ERCOT

The Texas grid manager is gearing up for record electricity usage while managing unusually high power generation problems. These problems could lead to continuous blackouts, similar to the 2011 winter storm that led to the same result, officials said.

The CEO of the Texas Electric Reliability Council, better known as ERCOT, announced on Sunday that the supply of natural gas to power plants was limited and some wind turbines froze. ERCOT has a network condition alert system that is now in a ‘conservation alert’ status as consumption increases across the state.

This is a step ahead of the beginning of this week, when Nick Natario of ABC13 spoke to ERCOT when conditions were normal.

“We are experiencing record electrical demand due to the extremely low temperatures that hit Texas,” said ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magness. “At the same time, we are dealing with higher than normal generation interruptions. We are asking Texans to take simple and safe measures to reduce energy use during this period.”

ERCOT in 2011 had to cut power to at least one million homes in Texas during a record cold spell that year.

The system’s perspective foresaw very strict conditions, including the possibility that demand could exceed available energy sometime on Sunday, according to the ERCOT website. A spokesman confirmed the outlook, saying that emergency conditions could be activated as early as tonight.

The similarities with the two situations are difficult to ignore: both systems brought significantly colder temperatures, left roads impassable with ice and snow and caused some power installations to be shut down due to the cold, leaving the state without enough energy. In 2011, the state imported energy from Mexico, according to an ABC13 report at the time.

Magness said lowering the heaters to 68 degrees, closing the curtains to help keep the heat off, and turning off non-essential appliances and lights can help conserve energy during the cold.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned on Saturday that the whole of Texas is facing an unprecedented winter storm and said he is asking for a federal disaster declaration before the storm. Abbott has already issued a statewide disaster declaration.

FROM SATURDAY: Governor Abbott calls for energy conservation, says demand may exceed supply

ABC13 answers your top questions about winter weather