Update:
Revised at 9:30 p.m. to reflect that the grid was operating normally, per ERCOT.
Grid operations back to ‘normal’ after energy emergency Wednesday evening, ERCOT says
In a social media post after 9 p.m., ERCOT said grid conditions had returned to normal.
By Hojun Choi
ERCOT on Wednesday issued its second-most severe energy emergency alert, citing “low power reserves.”
In a post over social media shortly after 7:30 p.m., the state’s main grid operator said it is issuing an “Energy Emergency Alert 2″ but added that there were no controlled outages. Shortly after 9 p.m., ERCOT said grid conditions had “returned to normal.”
“During the Conservation Appeal, to protect the reliability of the grid, ERCOT entered emergency operations which provided access to additional resources,” the post read.
A weather watch remains in effect through Friday, according to the grid operator’s website.
About 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Public Utility Commission of Texas said ERCOT was not experiencing emergency conditions, but the potential for those conditions remained because of “continued high temperatures, high demand, low wind, and declining solar power generation.”
ERCOT issues an Energy Emergency Alert 2 when operating reserves are less than 1,750 megawatts and are not expected to recover within half an hour. The grid operator can reduce demand by temporarily cutting power to industrial customers who have agreed through a contract to have their electricity turned off during emergency conditions, according to ERCOT.
Energy Emergency Alert 3 — the most severe level — means that controlled outages are in progress, according to the state’s main grid operator.
ERCOT has repeatedly called on customers to conserve energy; a prolonged heat wave has continued to stress the state’s standalone power grid. The most worrisome hours have been during sunset as solar power energy dips and wind energy has yet to pick up. But Wednesday’s emergency alert goes a step further.
At 8:20 p.m., ERCOT showed electric prices at above $5,000 per megawatt-hour, more than 200 times higher than they were Wednesday morning.
Demand never outpaced supply, according to an ERCOT dashboard, though at about 7:30 p.m., committed capacity was only about 1,000 megawatts higher than demand. That gap started to widen shortly thereafter.
An excessive heat warning was in place Wednesday for most of North Texas, including Dallas, Tarrant and Collin counties and continues until 1 p.m. Thursday. High temperatures have hovered around 100 degrees the past few days as well are expected to stay in the triple-digit range until the weekend.
Dallas Morning News politics writer Phil Jankowski contributed to this report.
