Texas Power-Grid Officials See No Need for Conservation Yet as Cold Hits

(Bloomberg) -- The top Texas power-grid official is confident there won't be need to ask consumers to conserve to keep the system stable, even as a powerful winter storm brought back memories of the deep freeze a year ago that knocked out electricity in the state.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or Ercot, will continue to evaluate whether homeowners and businesses can pitch in to keep the state grid stable, Interim Chief Executive Officer Brad Jones said in a press briefing Wednesday afternoon. Ercot is aggressively managing the grid, including tapping reserves earlier, to prevent shortfalls, he said. 

The grid operator is expecting demand to climb toward an all-time high on Friday morning. Increasingly, consumers in Texas and other parts of the country have been asked to delay running their laundry machines or dishwashers during the highest demand hours as a precaution. Ercot made those pleas last February before waves of power plants tripped off line. It's notable now that Ercot isn't doing the same this time. 

“As of now, we don't see the need to do that, but we will keep each of you updated as we continue through the week,” Jones said at the briefing. 

Storm From Texas Through Maine Spurs 4,100 Flight Cancellations

©2022 Bloomberg L.P.