How the Texas power grid is holding up amid extreme summer heat
NORTH TEXAS – ERCOT is expecting to see record demand on the Texas power grid Tuesday afternoon with most of the state's population facing dangerous heat.
The state's four largest metro areas – Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio – are under either excessive heat warnings or heat advisories. Air temperatures will exceed 110 degrees in some areas, with feels-like temperatures even higher.
Monday's high temperatures put the most load on the power grid so far this year, which was just shy of the record set in August of 2023. On Tuesday, the projected demand of over 85,700 megawatts between 5 and 6 p.m. could exceed both.
While power use is at its highest in the late afternoon and early evening, the grid is at its most vulnerable just after sunset, when solar power generators go offline. Still, there were no issues with the grid on Monday, and ERCOT is not asking customers to conserve energy.
Texas power grid concerns
Concern about the Texas power grid has remained top of mind for many Texas residents since February of 2021, when a deep freeze and ice storm across most of the state knocked out many power lines and plants. Millions of people lost power, some for days, and leading to the deaths of at least 246 people.
In its aftermath, state lawmakers passed a set of laws meant to strengthen the grid's reliability. There have not been major blackouts since, but some analysts have said there is more that can be done.