ERCOT Issues Voluntary Conservation Notice Due to Expected Record Power Demand

With another sweltering day in the forecast statewide, ERCOT is asking Texans to voluntarily reduce their electricity use Tuesday afternoon, if it is safe to do so, due to extreme temperatures and the anticipation of another sweltering day. unprecedented energy demand.

ERCOT’s Notice of Voluntary Preservation is in effect Tuesday, June 20 from 4 pm to 8 pm CT. The agency said they are not in emergency conditions and that voluntary conservation is a widely used tool to help reduce demand during peak usage times, typically in the late afternoon and early evening, the hottest part of the day. .

“The Notice of Voluntary Retention is part of ERCOT’s Texas Warning and Notification System (TXANS), which alerts the public to network conditions,” the agency said. “ERCOT is requesting all government agencies, including city and county offices, to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities.”

Last week, ERCOT, the agency that manages the state’s electric grid, issued a Meteorological watch from June 15 to 21anticipating record demand due to excessive heat.

On Monday, Texans broke the June peak demand record by 3,000 megawatts using 79,304 MW of power. Last summer, ERCOT said Texans set 11 new peak demand records. The current all-time record is 80,148 MW, which was set on July 20, 2022.

Following ERCOT’s request Tuesday morning, the Texas Public Utility Commission echoed the call for conservation and urged Texans to help reduce demand on the grid.

ERCOT said they are using additional tools Tuesday to reliably manage the grid, including using standby power, requesting reductions from large electricity customers who have volunteered to reduce their power use, and putting more generation online before.

You can find energy saving tips at ercot.com/txans.

Why the need to reduce usage?
• Extreme heat. Much of Texas is experiencing very high temperatures for an extended period.
• Record Demand. Texas is experiencing record demand due to the heat.
• Thermal cuts. Forced interruptions of thermal generation plants are higher than normal.
• Lots. Solar generation decreases in the afternoon hours, before being completely disconnected at sunset.
• Wind. Low wind generation compared to historical performance during the summer peak.

MAP: HOW VULNERABLE IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO EXCESSIVE HEAT

People living in densely populated cities and remote rural areas are most at risk during heat waves, data shows. The full NBC News story can be read here. Use the embedded map below to see your area.

As summer temperatures rise in North Texas, NBC 5’s Ben Russell tells us how we can keep our electricity costs down.