ERCOT INSTRUCTS UTILITIES TO BEGIN ROTATING OUTAGES DUE TO EXTREME COLD ACROSS TEXAS

  

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 3, and has instructed electric utilities throughout the state to begin rotating rolling power outages.

ERCOT says the outages will be temporary, lasting between 15 to 30 minutes at a time, and that they are necessary in order to support demand created by the freezing weather.

Customers are urged to keep their electric loads to a minimum by turning off all unnecessary electronics, appliances, and lighting.  Some steps consumers can take include turning their thermostats down to 68 degrees or lower, avoiding using large appliances like ovens and washing machines, closing shades and blinds at night to reduce the amount of heat lost through windows, and opening them during the day to allow sunshine in.

On Sunday, ERCOT reported that it had set a new record for winter peak demand, reaching 69,150 Megawatts between 6 and 7 p.m.  ERCOT said this number was more than 3,200 Megawatts higher than the previous winter peak, which was set January 2018.

Anyone who is currently without power should turn their thermostats off or down at least four degrees, turn off nonessential electric appliances and lights, and wait 20 minutes after power is restored before turning anything back on.

Thousands of homes are without power across the region as a result of the freezing weather and the rolling outages instituted by ERCOT.  Officials with Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative say there have been as many as 3,800 members in Washington County without power, but that number is changing very frequently due to the rotating outages.