NEW ERCOT ALERT SYSTEM PROVIDES UPDATES ON POWER GRID CONDITIONS

  

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) revealed a new tool on Wednesday for Texans to stay informed about how the state’s power grid is performing.

The Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) will provide warnings and notices to residents ahead of circumstances that may result in higher demand for electricity. 

ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said the system “will deliver clear and reliable notifications ahead of significant weather conditions where high demand on the grid is possible.” 

TXANS introduces the ERCOT Weather Watch, which monitors forecasted conditions and sends out notifications 3-5 days in advance of possible increased demand.  Weather Watches will be issued during normal grid conditions.

Four grid condition levels are laid out in TXANS.  The first is normal, followed by the Weather Watch.  The third is Voluntary Conservation Notice, when ERCOT will request that residents and government agencies voluntarily conserve energy.  The fourth and final stage is Energy Emergency Alert, which calls for targeted action to address emergency supply and demand conditions, potentially including controlled outages.

During a press conference announcing TXANS, Vegas said ERCOT is not expecting to issue more conservation notices this summer, but wants to implement a new method to keep Texans up to date on the status of the grid.

In addition to TXANS, other resources include the 6-Day Supply and Demand Forecast and Fuel Mix dashboards available on the ERCOT webpage.

To sign up for notifications and alerts, go to www.ercot.com/txans.