HARLINGEN — Thousands of AEP Texas customers were without power this morning as cold temperatures continue to plague the utility’s electrical grid.
At 8 a.m., more than 12,400 customers in the utility’s coverage area were in the dark, with the largest outages in Beeville (about 6,500 customers) and Corpus Christi (around 2,300 customers).
In the Valley, 250 customers were without power in Edinburg and another 500 were in the same spot in Starr County.
By 9:15 a.m., however, outages had been reduced to just 3,299 as AEP Texas crews continue to work on restoring power.
The biggest outages, as usual, were within the 6 to 9 a.m. window that is one of the peak power use periods in the day. The other peak use period is 5 to 7 p.m.
AEP Texas officials are urging people to employ conservation measures during these peak periods, and to use major appliances like washers and dryers either earlier in the day or after the windows pass.
Utility officials also are urging customers who have lost power to shut off washers, dryers and ovens, and turn off thermostats during these outages. When the grid comes back up, the spike in demand could trip circuit breakers again and prolong the outage.
