The governor hailed the state’s power grid as ERCOT once again asked customers to conserve energy on Thursday night.
Gov. Greg Abbott’s office sent KHOU 11 a statement saying power grid demand records have been set and broken 10 times this summer. He claims reform from the Texas Legislature in the past two years has allowed the grid to meet demand.
“The grid has been able to meet those challenges and respond in record ways, providing more power than ever before, in large part because of the reforms passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Abbott,” his office said.
Tight grid conditions are expected from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and similar conditions are expected Friday.
On Tuesday—ERCOT said it set an all-time September peak demand record.
That record was broken on Wednesday, with more than 82,700 MW of demand. Meanwhile, the state has sent multiple conservation notices to electric customers.
KHOU 11 energy expert Ed Hirs said if multiple households set the thermostat two degrees higher—it can make a dent.
“We have 26 million Texans living under the ERCOT umbrella and maybe 4 million meters that if one-tenth of them shut down their AC compressors for an hour or two, or just change the thermostats, that would make a huge dent in the demand profile,” Hirs said.
The low wind and high temperatures continued to put stress on the grid.
Wednesday night, ERCOT avoided calling for rolling blackouts as an emergency alert was sent out.
So far this year, ERCOT has sent conservation notices 13 days, compared to 16 warnings issued during the last heat wave in 2011.
Daniel Cohan, an environmental engineering professor at Rice University, said the demand has increased—but Texas has not increased the number of coal or nuclear plants in the state in the last 12 years.
“We have way more people, way more factories and data centers in Texas than we did 12 years ago. This is the first time we’ve seen such intense heat wave and drought hit the state since our population and economy have grown so much that’s pushing demand to all time high records,” Cohan said.
He said solar, wind and battery power have been added to the state’s grid. He said it’s not enough to keep up with the demand from Texas.
But Gov. Abbott's office said bills incentivizing development will allow power to be supplied to the state.
"As Texas continues to grow, more demand will be placed on the grid, which is why Governor Abbott signed legislation like SB 2627 into law, providing up to $10 billion in incentives for construction, maintenance and modernization of electric generation and transmission facilities. Governor Abbott will continue working with the legislature to build a grid strong enough to power Texas for the next century," a statement said.
The largest account users including factories, refineries, and Bitcoin miners can play a big role in reducing demand on the power grid. Although customers have received conservation notices, Hirs says it’s unclear how many people they reach.
“There’s anecdotal evidence that when these alerts go out that some Texans will change the thermostats,” Hirs said.
You can monitor the power grid conditions on ERCOT’s website.
Read the full statement from the governor's office:
"During record-setting temperatures this summer, Texas set and broke power demand records 10 times without any systemwide issues or disruptions for the more than 26 million Texans served by the ERCOT grid. The grid has been able to meet those challenges and respond in record ways, providing more power than ever before, in large part because of the reforms passed by the legislature and signed into law by Governor Abbott. In 2021, Governor Abbott signed 14 bills to reform the power grid through increased power generation and capped electricity price spikes. Since this sweeping bi-partisan legislation was passed and enacted, no Texan has lost power because of the state grid. As Texas continues to grow, more demand will be placed on the grid, which is why Governor Abbott signed legislation like SB 2627 into law, providing up to $10 billion in incentives for construction, maintenance and modernization of electric generation and transmission facilities. Governor Abbott will continue working with the legislature to build a grid strong enough to power Texas for the next century."