ERCOT issues weather watch, potential for peak demand
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AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a weather watch from June 15-June 21 due to forecasted higher temperatures and higher electrical demand, according to a news release from ERCOT on Tuesday.
“ERCOT has issued its first Weather Watch to let Texans know that we are forecasting increased demand due to the higher temperatures expected this week and into next week,” said Pablo Vegas, ERCOT President and CEO. “Grid conditions are normal when we issue a Weather Watch. 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.”
A weather watch notification is distributed three to five days out of forecasted weather that could impact the grid and create high demand. People are urged to keep an eye on the grid and plan ahead to reduce energy use.
According to the ERCOT website, its 6-day Supply and Demand dashboard shows the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record later this week. Furthermore, the dashboards will update in real time as the week progresses, the release said.
In 2022, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records, which surpassed 80 GWs for the first time ever, the agency said. The current record of 80,148 MWs was set on July 20, 2022, according to ERCOT.
ERCOT's new notification system
For anyone who wants to sign up for grid condition notifications via the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) can visit the ERCOT website.
ERCOT hopes the TXANS system will help increase transparency and trust, ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas previously said.