Texans asked to conserve energy Tuesday as statewide freeze continues straining power grid

For the second time since an arctic blast hit Texas over the weekend, the operator of the state’s power grid asked businesses and residents to conserve energy to avoid straining the electrical supply. 

The latest request from the the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) was in effect from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday. It follows a similar conversation appeal issued Monday morning.

“ERCOT is forecasting higher demand [Tuesday] morning as Texans return to work and schools reopen,” officials said in an online statement.

ERCOT’s latest conservation request comes as San Antonio endured another hard freeze Tuesday morning and remained in the low 20s at press time. The freezing weather is expected to affect the majority of the state through Wednesday.

In its latest statement, ERCOT said Monday’s conservation efforts, “combined with additional grid reliability tools,” helped it avoid emergency steps such as rolling blackouts. The grid operators said it also expects similar conditions Wednesday and will continue monitoring conditions. 

Voluntary conservation requests are ERCOT’s first step to ensuring that the state grid, which isn’t connected to those serving the rest of the country, doesn’t buckle under high demand. The notice isn’t an indication that ERCOT plans to take emergency steps such as rolling blackouts, officials said. 

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This article appears in Jan 10-23, 2024.