Texas’ power grid operator said it was at risk of running out of power reserves and that an emergency situation could occur early next week.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said in a notice posted Thursday that it may need to call on generators scheduled to shut down for maintenance from 8 p.m. Monday, May 20, to 10 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, to bolster backup supplies.
ERCOT issued similar notices multiple times last month as many power plants are shut down for seasonal repairs. The grid operator said Thursday it no longer needs additional spare capacity from Friday evening until Saturday.
Adam Singh, owner of power trading company Aspire Commodities LLC, said the state of the power grid has been affected by power plant outages of more than 20,000 megawatts in the past week, which is higher than the five-year average. He said there is a possibility that the situation is tight. One megawatt can power about 250 homes in Texas.
ERCOT is issuing the notice because these outages will reduce the output of available thermal power generation capacity (nuclear, coal, and natural gas plants) to approximately 75,000 megawatts, making it “renewable.” “Everyone can see the strain on the system when energy is not available,” Singh said. . “His other option is to ask the public to reduce their power consumption, but the public is using this tool instead of that one.”
Texas’ power grid has repeatedly faced power supply strains over the past two years as extreme weather and surges in power demand stress aging infrastructure. As the state becomes more reliant on intermittent renewable energy, solar power supplies drop sharply after dusk, raising concerns about potential power shortages. At such times, natural gas-fired plants and batteries must be quickly brought on line to keep the power flowing, often when demand is still very strong.
– Bloomberg’s Mark Chediak and Noreen S. Malik
