You remember Texas' power grid problems? Yeah, they've not addressed that. ERCOT again asks Texans to conserve power after numerous generators fail.
Posted by
Qale
May 13 '22, 18:24
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Texans are again being asked to scale back their electricity consumption after six power generators went offline Friday amid unseasonably hot weather and strong demand for energy, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
ERCOT said the failures resulted in the loss of approximately 2,900 megawatts of generating capacity. One megawatt is about enough electricity to power 200 homes on a hot day.
Prices climbed quickly in wholesale electricity markets Friday afternoon and into the evening, running as high as $5,000 per megawatt hour, according to ERCOT. Wholesale prices typically average around $30 per megawatt hour.
ERCOT asked that Texans keep their thermostats set above 78 degrees and avoid using large appliances such as dishwashers or dryers during peak hours of 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. this weekend, with temperatures again forecast for the 90s.
Last week, the agency warned of potential issues with the electric grid as temperatures around the state climbed to near-record highs. The agency has faced criticism and lawsuits since the Texas electric grid failed during last year’s winter storm that left millions without power for days at a time.
At least 246 people died as a result of that power failure, though some estimates of the death toll have been more than double that number.
Friday was the third time since the freeze of 2021 that ERCOT has issued notices asking households and businesses to conserve because of tight power supplies. The grid manager issued one last April when a high number of power plants went offline and demand rose higher than expected. Another one, which lasted for five days in mid-June, was sparked after about 15 percent of the system’s generating capacity went offline, while demand inched toward a record 73,000 megawatts.
With the unusually hot weather forecast, ERCOT last week asked generators to put off scheduled maintenance and keep power plants operating to meet the high demand. Power consumption on Monday reached 71,000 megawatts, a record for May.
Power companies traditionally have scheduled maintenance in the spring, when temperatures are mild, to prepare for the stress of summer, when demand in Texas is at its highest. But increasingly, extreme weather is occurring at all times of the year, disrupting normal maintenance schedules, experts say.
Earlier this week, the combination of hot weather, strong demand and transmission bottlenecks pushed wholesale power prices above $5,000 per megawatt hour.
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