As the winter storm blankets the entire state and temperatures are expected to drop further tonight and into tomorrow morning, ERCOT is urging Texans to conserve electricity use on January 16, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
According to ERCOT, an increased demand is expected tomorrow morning as Texans resume work and schools reopen.
“Tomorrow’s conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time,” ERCOT said in a statement. “ERCOT will remain vigilant and communicate further if conditions change because of continued freezing temperatures and very high demand in the morning hours. At this time, if you are experiencing an outage, it is local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability.”
Last night, ERCOT achieved a new January peak demand, reaching 70,982 MW during the 8-9 p.m. hour, surpassing the previous January peak demand record of 65,915 MW set on January 17, 2018. Today, ERCOT already surpassed this new January peak, establishing an all-time winter peak demand record with 75,559 MW in the 9-10 a.m. hour. The prior winter peak demand record of 74,525 MW was established on December 23, 2022, amid Winter Storm Elliott.
Earlier today, ERCOT averted emergency operations thanks to the conservation efforts of Texas residents and businesses, coupled with the implementation of additional grid reliability tools. However, similar conditions are anticipated on Wednesday, January 17, and ERCOT will continue to monitor and keep the public informed through communication channels.
ERCOT hopes to ensure grid reliability through the deployment of various tools, such as leveraging reserve power, seeking voluntary reductions from large electric customers and accelerating the integration of additional generation capacity. Additionally, the council is collaborating with out-of-state independent system operators and market participants to explore the possibility of securing additional power generation capacity. To address demand requirements, ERCOT secured enforcement discretion from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, enabling generators to extend their service, runtime or operations if necessary.
