As a series of cold fronts are expected to pass through Texas, ERCOT officials report they are closely monitoring the weather forecast and models.
According to ERCOT officials, ERCOT expects there to be sufficient generation to meet forecast demand and will continue to provide updates.
ERCOT issued an Operating Condition Notice (OCN), a procedural notification to transmission and distribution owners and generation resources that temperatures will meet ERCOT’s criteria of 25 degrees or lower in the Austin/San Antonio and the Dallas Fort-Worth areas between Thursday, Dec. 22 through Monday, Dec. 26, the media release said.
Officials said that over the past 18 months, “ERCOT has worked closely with the Public Utility Commission and elected officials to implement reforms and increase grid reliability, including weatherization, bringing more generation online sooner if needed, and purchasing more reserve power. As a result, the reliability and resiliency of the grid has been strengthened significantly.”
“Providing Texans with a reliable electric grid is our highest priority. As we monitor weather conditions, we want to assure Texans that the grid is resilient and reliable,” said Pablo Vegas, ERCOT president and CEO. “We will keep the public informed as weather conditions change throughout the coming week.”
ERCOT was strongly criticized in February 2021, when a winter blast pushed through the state causing blackouts throughout the state that affected 4.5 million homes and causing at least 100 weather related deaths.
Severe weather conditions in February 2021 nearly caused the electrical grid to collapse. Temperatures around the state were either freezing or below freezing. Rolling blackouts and power outages lasted more than an hour in many sections across Texas.
Texans were left to fend for themselves, trying to stay warm, trying to keep food in their refrigerators from spoiling and trying to find gasoline for their vehicles. The Texas Health and Human Services Department in a statistical report stated the deaths of at least 100 individuals were linked to the winter freeze.
According to energy.utexas.edu, the failure resulted in over $195 billion in property damage, bringing attention to the energy system crisis and its potential causes.
