ERCOT on Tuesday issued a statement publicly acknowledging the potential for increased demand on the Texas power grid this weekend and claims it has asked power plants to delay or curtail planned power outages accordingly, per KHOU’s Bill Bishop.
ERCOT says it has asked power plants across the region to postpone planned outages and return from outages already in progress in order to serve Texans this weekend. At this time, ERCOT projects there will be sufficient generation to meet this high demand for electricity.#khou11
— The Bishop (@BillBishopKHOU) May 3, 2022
The regulating body said it expects energy generation to meet increased demand as extreme heat moves through the state over the weekend.
— END OF UPDATE —
Texas residents could be facing potential blackout conditions this weekend in response to spiking temperatures in the Lone Star State and corresponding surges in demand on its notoriously fickle power grid.
According to Austin-based energy consultant Doug Lewin, the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is expecting demand for power to reach 69.3 gigawatts on Saturday, May 7 as temperatures in Houston and Dallas hit highs in the low-to-mid ’90s and eclipse 100 in towns such as Midland and Laredo.
“This Saturday, ERCOT expects 69.3GW of demand, an insane amount for a weekend in early May,” Lewin tweeted Monday, estimating that the figure would likely be a record for energy demand on the state grid in the month of May.
I believe the previous record demand in May is ~67GW & all time summer peak is 74.8GW. That we would reach that much demand on a Saturday in May is extraordinary. Usually demand is much lower on the weekends. Extreme weather from #climatechange is already happening.#txlege 2/5
— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) May 2, 2022
Lewin stated that the previous May record, to his best knowledge, peaked around 67 gigawatts. Making matters worse, ERCOT is expecting 20 gigawatts of Texas thermal plants powered by coal and gas to be offline for maintenance during the peak demand window of the coming heat, according to Lewin.
I believe the previous record demand in May is ~67GW & all time summer peak is 74.8GW. That we would reach that much demand on a Saturday in May is extraordinary. Usually demand is much lower on the weekends. Extreme weather from #climatechange is already happening.#txlege 2/5
— Doug Lewin (@douglewinenergy) May 2, 2022
“#ERCOT expects 20GW of thermal plants to be offline. Wind expected to be @ 12GW & solar’s likely to break a record ~9GW. I expect every battery on the grid will be ready for peak @ 5pm. Still, there will likely be tight conditions. Buckle up.”
As of Monday afternoon, ERCOT has not publicly addressed the coming demand spike. The regulatory body faced a storm of national criticism last year when freezing temperatures from Winter Storm Uri derailed the state grid, leading to wide-ranging power outages and hundreds of estimated deaths.
Peak demand during Winter Storm Uri reached around 70 gigawatts, according to a Texas Oil and Gas Association study—an amount only fractionally higher than the load expected this weekend.
Texans can monitor grid conditions and energy availability projections across the state in real-time by accessing ERCOT’s digital dashboard.
BS im 40 miles south of houston. Last night May 5 only a box fan in the window had to get a blanket
thanks, keep us posted
we’re still in Sprinter here 🙁
Planting maters tomorrow here, and whatever else.
Or are they saying ..”were going to make it fail”…because we have an agenda and its not for the people
good point
100 degrees in Midland, eh? Cute, considering we here at the 30th parallel will have highs in the mid-80s and lows in the upper 50s this coming weekend…with Midland only being roughly 100 miles north of here? Now a 100 in Presidio would make more sense (which borders Ojinaga, Mexico)…. Sorry, ERCOT, but you lost all cred during the Big Freeze of 2021 when most of far west Texas lost power for three days…thanks for nearly freezing out my daughter!
Bullshit! I’m in North Dallas. 70-80 degrees in May? This is normal weather. Record breaking, my ass!
The only thing I see that is record breaking is the number of homes being built and occupied in Texas lately due to the Indians and the illegal immigrants. Maybe you should ask them why we have a power grid issue.
I’d kill for 80 degrees 🙂 60 here right now but at least there is sun and of course, wind
I just checked temp where Katie is …mid 90s, so this heat wave is sporadic
Yes. Saturday will be 97, heat index of 103, and overnight of 73. Today’s humidity was 72%. Stifling.
girl, ya need to get up here lol