Rep. Darby Issues ERCOT Update

SAN ANGELO, TX – As Texas continues to experience high temperatures and possible electrical outages, Representative Drew Darby shared  an update on Facebook.

Check out the full statement below:

"Many of you have reached out to me regarding the recent conservation alert issued by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) notifying customers to conserve their energy use this week. Yesterday, officials from both ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) provided an update to legislators. In order to keep you informed with the latest, below is the information that was conveyed to legislators from ERCOT and PUC on the Texas power grid."

ERCOT reported that three issues converged on Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th:

1. An unusually high number of unexpected forced outages were experienced by generators due to mechanical failures.
2. Less wind generation was available than expected.
3. Demand was abnormally higher than anticipated for this time in June.

ERCOT stated that generator owners reported approximately 11,000 MW of generation was on forced outage for repairs – 8,000 MW was thermal (coal, natural gas, and nuclear) and the rest were renewable (wind and solar) resources.

In response to the convergence of these three issues, ERCOT took the following steps:

1. Called on all available power generators to come online.
2. Issued a conservation alert to consumers.

What is a conservation alert?

Conservation alerts are a normal tool used by all power grids to ensure a proper balance between supply and demand to maintain the required frequency in the transmission lines. ERCOT has issued 22 such alerts since 2014.

Did the conservation alert issued on Monday work?

Yes, the conservation alert worked to reduce demand throughout the grid. Demand was anticipated to be 73,000 MW on Monday but was reduced to 70,000 MW due to conservation efforts by Texans, which helped avoid the need for emergency measures. Since the conservation alert was issued and demand reduced, rolling blackouts were not issued.

"Thank you for observing the conservation alert issued for the rest of the week. I plan to keep you updated on the state of our power grid and highlight the many changes the legislature made during the 87th Legislative Session to restructure both the PUC and ERCOT. It is important that we continue to hold both entities accountable to Texans."