The Texas Electricity Reliability Council (ERCOT) called in a statement Friday, saying rising temperatures have boosted demand and caused six power plants to shut down offline. This resulted in a loss of about 2,900 megawatts of electricity.
“We ask Texans to save energy when they can by setting their thermostats to 78 degrees or more and avoid using large appliances (such as dishwashers, washing machines and dryers) during peak hours between 3pm and 8pm on weekends.” said interim CEO Brad Jones in a statement. p
The call comes as record temperatures in much of the southern United States are expected to worsen the deepening drought this weekend.
From Phoenix to Amarillo, Texas, record temperatures are expected to triple, with some parts of Texas likely breaking daily records over the next seven days.
ERCOT was screened last year after record lows in February caused the highest electricity demand in the state and more than 200 people died during the power crisis, with hypothermia being the most common cause of death. In March 2021, ERCOT President and CEO Bill Magnes was fired after widespread power outages during a series of winter storms that left many Texas residents in the dark for days.
Now the heat is testing the Texas power grid.
On Wednesday, ERCOT called on power plants to postpone outages and return from outages that are already underway “to serve Texas this weekend.”
Temperatures on Saturday were expected to be 90 in all of Texas – 10 to 15 degrees above average, according to CNN meteorologists. Temperatures from the mid-90s to the low 100s are expected on Sunday, with much of central and western Texas reaching 100 to 105 degrees – approximately 10 to 15 degrees above average.
ERCOT represents about 90% of the state’s electricity load, according to a statement from the organization.
Unusually hot weather is causing record demand across the country, the statement said.
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