Texas Power Grid Warning: Demand Will Rise Considerably Amid Soaring Temperatures

Power lines are seen during a heatwave with expected temperatures of 102 F (39 C) in Dallas, Texas, U.S. June 12, 2022. Though the heat wave caused electricity use in Texas to reach an all time high, the power grid remained largely stable without major issues. (REUTERS/Shelby Tauber)

The Texas state power grid is anticipating higher demand due to rising temperatures, with the state predicted to see “dangerous heat” this weekend.

“ERCOT has issued a Weather Watch June 15-21 due to forecasted higher temperatures and anticipated higher electrical demand,” the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the state’s power grid operator, said in a June 14 post on Twitter. The operator’s grid conditions remained “Normal” as of 01:00 p.m. EDT, with operating reserves at 6,094 MW. ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to over 26 million customers in Texas, representing roughly 90 percent of the state’s electric load.

The National Weather Service (NWS) of Houston/Galveston has issued a heat warning for Sunday, with many places expected to see temperatures of 100 degrees or more.

“Dangerous Heat is expected on Sunday. Highs across SE Texas will reach the upper 90s, likely breaking triple digits. Heat Indices will near or exceed 112 degrees,” the agency said.

The Houston Health Department has warned citizens about the high heat in the Texas region. “50 percent to 70 percent of outdoor deaths occur in the first days of working in hot conditions,” it said in a June 17 post on Twitter. “Build up #heatexposure. #Stayhydrated. Plan outdoor work for early a.m. or p.m.”

Push for Renewable Energy

Texas has been facing issues with delivering a consistent electricity supply. In 2021, winter storm Uri left over 4.5 million citizens in the state without power. In 2022, ERCOT asked residents to conserve electricity on July 11 due to a predicted shortage in reserve capacity.

At the time, the agency had said that wind turbines were to produce less than 10 percent of their capacity. This combined with extreme heat and high demand, triggered ERCOT’s conservation request to customers.

In an interview with The Epoch Times in July last year, David Blackmon, an independent energy analyst and consultant based in Mansfield, Texas, pointed out that Texas’ electricity supply problem came due to depending on unreliable energy like wind. He blamed Democratic policies for stifling oil and gas production.

Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain (R) called wind farms “a scam.” Cain pointed out that federal production credits made wind farms too lucrative from an investment perspective. The Texas grid is largely powered by natural gas.

In March this year, GOP Senators unveiled nine bills aimed at limiting the construction of renewable energy projects in Texas while incentivizing investments in power plants fired by natural gas.

Improving Texas Grid Reliability, Power Outage

Earlier this week, ERCOT announced the launch of its ERCOT Contingency Reserve Service (ECRS), which is expected to support grid reliability as well as mitigate real-time operational issues so as to keep the supply-demand situation in balance.

“As summer temperatures begin to rise across Texas and with high demand forecasted, we will continue to use all operational tools available, including implementation of new programs like ECRS,” said ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas, according to a June 12 press release.

“ERCOT will also execute previous sessions’ legislative reforms, such as our weatherization inspections, and we’ll continue our reliability-first approach to operations, always prioritizing grid reliability.”

Meanwhile, citizens in Texas are also currently suffering from power outages due to severe storms that have battered the region. According to data from Poweroutage.us, 149,174 customers in Texas were experiencing power outages as of 01:45 p.m. EDT on June 17.

“Many roads were also blocked by some of the same downed trees that took down power lines,” the Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) said in a June 16 update. SWEPCO services around 543,000 customers in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana.