ERCOT issues Weather Watch as rising temperatures lead to high electrical demand

ByJeff Ehling KTRK logo

Wednesday, June 14, 2023

ERCOT issues Weather Watch due to dangerously hot temperatures

ERCOT's power supply and demand dashboard shows the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record later this week. For now, Texans are not being asked to conserve.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a Weather Watch for June 15 through June 21 due to forecasted higher electrical demand across the state, which means Texans should be on alert in case they're asked to conserve energy.

"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."

This comes as the National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory in the Houston area from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Peak heat index values are expected to hit between 105 and 110 degrees, which is in the "dangerous" category.

FULL FORECAST: Heat Advisory in effect for much of SE Texas from 1pm-7pm Wednesday

Afternoon high temperatures will reach into the mid-to-upper 90s every day through Father's Day weekend, and likely beyond. Heat index values will likely peak Friday and Saturday around 111 degrees. A heat index of 108 is enough to trigger a Heat Advisory. If the heat index reaches 113, then an Excessive Heat Warning will be issued.

For power grid operators, record heat means record power usage. Thankfully, ERCOT's 6-day supply and demand dashboard shows Tuesday's expected demand will be below the available power supply. However, it does show the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record later this week.

State officials are watching grid conditions very closely in case they have to issue a Conservation Alert.

If ERCOT issues a Conservation Alert, Texans will be asked to cut back from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. It's important to keep in mind as we get to closer to the weekend, when the state could break temperature records and power demand usage records at the same time.

ABC13 spoke with officials who monitor power prices for consumers. Right now, they think the grid will hold up, but the next few days will be a challenge.

"If we keep these temperatures by Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, it is going to be very, very hot, very high load," David Kinchen with Energy Ogre said.

If you're headed to Bush Airport on Tuesday, ABC13's Courtney Fischer was there and said it feels good again! Some flyers agree and don't think the AC is much of an issue.

Amid the high temperatures, Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport is making repairs to its air conditioning system.

Three industrial-sized chillers were brought in, and passengers are getting free water to stay cool.

There is cold air at the airport on Tuesday, but work to the system is still ongoing.

The airport reached nearly 80 degrees on Monday.

"Our customer service team is wandering through the terminals providing water to the customers and keeping track of areas that are cooling places in the terminal. Again, there are cool places in the terminal. It's 77, 76 degrees," Jim Szczesniak, the chief operating officer for Houston Airport System, said on Tuesday. "Our goal for the terminal today is 74 degrees plus or minus two degrees."

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