ERCOT, the electrical grid operator for most of Texas, issued a weather watch for early next week when sub-freezing temperatures are expected to last multiple days throughout the state.
The watch is scheduled to last Monday through Wednesday and was issued “due to extreme cold weather across the ERCOT region, higher electrical demand, and the potential for lower reserves.”
ERCOT emphasized that grid conditions are expected to be normal, though, and it has not called for energy conservation.
The first time the agency issued a “weather watch” was in June and multiple others followed throughout the summer as the state experienced record-breaking triple-digit heat.
ERCOT CEO Pablo Vegas said in a statement at the time that grid conditions are normal when a weather watch is issued.
“ERCOT continues to monitor conditions closely and will deploy all available tools to manage the grid and will continue our reliability-first approach to operations, always prioritizing grid reliability,” he said.
The National Weather Service has said next week’s weather conditions in Dallas-Fort Worth will be hazardously cold with many areas possibly dropping below 10 degrees Monday night into Tuesday morning.
You can view real-time power supply conditions at the DMN’s ERCOT hub
