Texans may soon be asked to help support the state’s grid. ERCOT, the Texas grid operator, is warning residents that higher temperatures will increase demand across the grid, resulting in a power emergency.
ERCOT plans to delay and cancel planned generator outages across the state to help reinforce the grid during a time of high demand and strain. The power emergency is expected to last from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday, according to a Friday notice.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texasdid not respond to The Dallas Morning News at the time of publication.
Temperatures in Dallas next week are expected to hit a high of 88 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday and stay in the 80s throughout the middle of the week.
The grid operator has come under fire from residents in recent years over its inconsistency in handling extreme temperatures like the 2021 winter freeze, aging infrastructure, the organization’s deals with the Bitcoin miners and more. It’s previously called on Texans to reduce electricity usage to boost the grid’s reliability.
However, ERCOT officials have also claimed that the grid has held strong during high-demand periods like the total solar eclipse and that improvements have been made since 2021 to ensure the grid’s reliability during the cold seasons.
