Rolling Blackouts Possible as Texans Are Urged to Cut Back on Electric Use

Power lines are seen during a heat wave with expected temperatures of 102 Fahrenheit in Dallas on June 12, 2022. Shelby Tauber/Reuters

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates the electric grid in the state, sent out requests late on July 10 asking Texans to cut back on their energy use the next day amid a heat wave and the potential for rolling blackouts.

According to an active operations message posted to the ERCOT website, the grid operator issued a watch at 9 p.m. local time for a “projected reserve capacity shortage with no market solution available for Monday, July 11, 2022.”