HOUSTON — ERCOT on Tuesday issued its first-ever Weather Watch to alert Texans about the high electrical demand expected when temperatures climb toward triple digits later this week.
The Weather Watch will be in effect from June 15 to June 21.
The ERCOT Weather Watch is an advance notification of upcoming weather that will increase demand on the statewide power grid. It's part of ERCOT's new Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) that is designed to provide greater transparency on grid conditions.
Grid conditions were normal Monday afternoon, according to ERCOT, but the peak demand expected Thursday through next Wednesday could set a new record.
ERCOT said there is currently enough capacity to meet the forecasted demand.
“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,” Pablo Vegas, ERCOT President and CEO, said. “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.”
One of those tools is ERCOT’s 6-day Supply and Demand dashboard found on its website. It shows the possibility of a new all-time peak demand record later this week. The dashboards update in real time.
Last year, ERCOT set 11 new peak demand records, surpassing 80 GWs for the first time ever. The current record of 80,148 MWs was set on July 20, 2022.
ERCOT encourages everyone to sign up for grid condition notifications through the Texas Advisory and Notification System (TXANS) at www.ercot.com/txans. Texans can also monitor real-time and extended grid conditions at www.ercot.com.