Texas power grid Energy Emergency Alert ends after critical appeal to conserve electricity

Amy McDaniel
·4 min read
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For the first time during this summer’s extended heat wave, ERCOT moved into emergency operations and issued an Energy Emergency Alert Level 2 on Wednesday night “to maintain reliability of the grid,” the agency said in a news release shortly before 8 p.m.

About 8:40 p.m., ERCOT, which manages the state’s power grid, said in a social media post that it has moved out of emergency status and conditions have returned to normal.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, ERCOT issued a voluntary conservation appeal from 6 -9 p.m. CT, but said in the release about 7:50 p.m. that “operating reserves are continuing to decline” and it was critical for Texans to conserve electricity if safe to do so.

Entering emergency operations did not mean that ERCOT expected to call for controlled power outages —which would affect all customer classes, including residential, commercial and industrial — but meant there was a risk that rolling blackouts might be necessary at some point. Controlled outages have not been requested, but could become necessary when demand isn’t lowered or additional supply can’t be added from generators, ERCOT said.

There were no power outages associated with the ERCOT power grid on Wednesday night, the agency said. ERCOT said it will continue to monitor conditions and deploy all available tools.

When reserves on the system get low, ERCOT begins emergency operations using three levels of Energy Emergency Alerts, the release said. The levels provide access to additional power sources only available during emergency conditions to protect the reliability of the electric system.

Entering emergency operations means that ERCOT has access to more power reserves that it said should help prevent power outages. An EEA 2 is issued when ERCOT’s operating reserves have dropped below 1,750 MWs and are not expected to recover within 30 minutes. The next and highest level, an EEA 3, is the point at which rotating blackouts could be used as a last resort.

On Wednesday night, ERCOT said it was bringing all available generation online, releasing any remaining reserves, and trying to lower electric demand. ERCOT is also “working with out-of-state Independent System Operators and Market Participants to obtain additional power generation capacity,” it said. Additionally, ERCOT obtained Texas Commission on Environmental Quality enforcement discretion, which allows a generator to extend its service, run-time or operations to help meet demand, if needed, to maintain grid reliability.

ERCOT also requested government agencies, including city and county offices, to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.

Critical medical needs reminder

If you have medical needs, ERCOT says that you should contact your local electric utility and have a backup plan in case power reductions, or controlled outages, are needed later. Your local electric provider is responsible for managing the power reduction, or controlled outages, in your area.

What can you do to save energy?

ERCOT offered energy-saving tips to lower your electric use during peak demand times, which are usually in the late afternoon and evening, such as raising the temperature on your thermostat a degree or two, turning off extra lights, and not using large appliances such as washer, dryers and dishwashers.

Factors causing tight grid conditions

ERCOT listed these reasons driving the need to conserve electricity:

  • Heat: Continued statewide high temperatures.

  • Demand: High demand due to the heat.

  • Solar: Solar generation starts to decline earlier in the evening hours before completely going offline at sunset.

  • Wind: Wind generation is forecast to be low Wednesday night during peak demand time.

Record demand

On Wednesday, ERCOT said it set a new September peak record of 82,705 MW.

ERCOT set an all-time peak demand record of 85,435 MW on Aug. 10.

In 2022, the August peak demand was 78,465 MW.

This summer ERCOT said it has set 10 new all-time peak demand records.

Last summer ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records with a high of 80,148 MW on July 20.

For more information

Subscribe to ERCOT Emergency Alerts, which are automated notices only sent under emergency conditions.

Sign up for TXANS notifications on the TXANS webpage to receive additional information.

Monitor current and extended conditions at ERCOT.com

Public Utility Commission of Texas Hotline: 1-888-782-8477

Office of Public Utility Counsel Consumer Assistance: 1-877-839-0363