Supply and Demand Issues are Straining the Texas Power Grid

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is back in the news.

WFAA is reporting that the grid operator has been closely monitoring the supply and demand on the state’s power grid since Wednesday morning.

If you’re like me, you’re thinking “What the hell?” The weather has been beautiful here lately. So, how could they possibly be having issues with there being too much strain on the power grid?

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The thing is, during fall and spring when the temperatures are milder, ERCOT will let plants go off the grid so that maintenance can be performed, which leads to less supply.

While the weather has been pretty nice, it has been warmer than normal, so demand has been a little higher than anticipated, which resulted in a close call yesterday.

There was a point yesterday when it was forecast that energy demand in Texas would exceed supply. However, ERCOT didn’t feel the need to issue a public conservation alert.

The grid operator is expected to closely monitor the situation over the course of the next 48 hours.

It’s understandable that many Texans get nervous when we hear ERCOT is having supply issues in the wake of the deadly power outages that occurred during the brutal winter storm we had to endure last February.

However, the grid operator delivered its “Roadmap to Improving Grid Reliability” to Governor Greg Abbott back in July. PUC Chairman and ERCOT Board Member Peter Lake said they are aggressively moving toward a more reliable grid:

ERCOT’s Roadmap puts a clear focus on protecting customers while also ensuring that Texas maintains free market incentives to bring new generation to the state. Texans deserve a more reliable grid, and we're aggressively moving to make that a reality.

Let’s hope that a more reliable grid does, in fact, become a reality – sooner rather than later.