San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg tells residents to prepare for rolling power outages

CPS customers could face power outages of an hour or two, but most will end within 10 to 15 minutes.

click to enlarge CPS CEO Rudy Garza told reporters that the current situation at ERCOT is the worst since Winter Storm Uri. - Courtesy of ERCOT
Courtesy of ERCOT
CPS CEO Rudy Garza told reporters that the current situation at ERCOT is the worst since Winter Storm Uri.
At a press conference Thursday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg told San Antonians to “remain calm” after Texas' power grid operator warned of rolling power outages due to record energy demand.

“There is a very strong probability of power outages throughout the state, including San Antonio, this afternoon and evening,” Nirenberg told reporters.

CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza said customers shouldn’t expect outages to last longer than “an hour or two” at most, adding that most would end within 10 to 15 minutes. The outages are most likely to occur from 7-9 p.m., he added.

“Maybe we get there today, maybe we don’t, but today is probably the likeliest that I’ve seen that it could happen,” Garza said

Conditions for grid operator the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) are at their most serious since 2021's Winter Storm Uri, according to Garza. The resumption of school, the ongoing heatwave and less wind energy being generated in the afternoons combined to stress the state's grid, he added.

Due to the likely outages, Nirenberg said city libraries will remain open as cooling centers until 9 p.m. The city also will release a list of senior centers and county facilities that will serve as cooling centers.

Nirenberg advised residents to keep devices charged, disconnect appliances and keep refrigerators and freezer doors closed. People should never use power generators indoors, he added.

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Michael Karlis

Michael Karlis is a Staff Writer at the San Antonio Current. He is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., whose work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Orlando Weekly, NewsBreak, 420 Magazine and Mexico Travel Today. He reports primarily on breaking news, politics...

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