ERCOT issues weather watch, warns Texans of potential for record demand

ERCOT issued weather watch Tuesday, cautioning that an expected heat wave could strain Texas’ power grid.

The watch begins Thursday and runs through June 21, when the temperature is expected to reach 106, according to the National Weather Service.

EROCT, or the Energy Reliability Council of Texas, manages Texas’ electric power grid, which supplies power for more than 26 million.

The announcement is a reminder of the energy instability that Texans have seen in the last few years.

ERCOT said it anticipates increased energy demand because of the higher temperatures. In the past, ERCOT has asked customers to conserve power. Last summer, Texans were asked to turn their thermostat up to 78.

One way ERCOT has handled the power overload is rolling blackouts, a tool “grid operators use to manage power grids when demand and supply fall out of balance,” according to Constellation Energy. It says the act of “cutting power in a controlled and brief manner protects sensitive equipment from being overloaded, allowing utilities to bring systems back into supply-and-demand harmony.”

ERCOT said grid levels can be monitored on its website. Residents can also sign up for alerts.

The alert system is something new from ERCOT that is supposed to increase transparency about the grid system, according to a post on Twitter.

ERCOT also wrote about a new system meant to increase grid reliability going into summer.

In May, officials said the peak demand for electricity this summer will exceed the amount that can be generated from “dispatchable” power sources — power sources like natural gas that can be turned on and off on demand.

The reliability of the grid has been closely monitored since the February 2021 winter storm, when millions were left without power for days.

Public Utility Commission Chairman Peter Lake said at the time that the grid, operationally, is “ready for the summer.”