Winter weather watch issued through Sunday by ERCOT

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued a winter weather watch which will be effective through Sunday, Feb. 6, regarding winter weather on the move in Texas. The Fort Worth National Weather Service is forecasting snow and sleet accumulation in Young, Stephens and Jack counties Wednesday, Feb. 2 to Thursday, Feb. 3.

ERCOT stated in a press release that the organization is forecasting high energy demands for the duration of the potential winter weather on the horizon. The organization manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers, representing about 90% of the electrical load throughout the state.

The organization is taking action ahead of the weather to ensure grid reliability due to an increase in demand. ERCOT issued an Operating Condition Notice (OCN) Friday, Jan. 28, to the electricity market for extreme winter weather. The department stated in the press release it projects to have enough generation to meet the higher electricity demand.

“ERCOT is using all the tools available to manage the grid effectively during this winter weather,” Interim CEO Brad Jones said. “ERCOT will deploy all the resources and aggressively implement the tools available to us to manage the grid reliably during this winter weather. We will continue coordinating closely with the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Public Utility Commission, the Railroad Commission and elected officials — as well as electric generators and transmission and distribution utilities — to keep Texans informed throughout the week.”

Across Young, Stephens and Jack counties sleet and snow are forecasted to have accumulations of 3-4 inches from Thursday to Friday. Young County and the northwestern portion of Stephens and Jack county is forecasted to have less than 0.1 inch of ice. The southeastern region of Jack and Stephens county is forecasted to have more than 0.1 inches of ice accumulation, according to the Fort Worth National Weather Service.

According to ERCOT, reforms have been made to increase the reliability of the state grid system following the February 2021 winter storm which led to widespread blackouts. According to the organization, it has inspected generating unit and transmission and distribution facilities for weatherization to comply with new PUC requirements.

All market participants who own or operate generation resources and or transmission/distribution power lines have to submit a letter signed by their CEO twice a year to certify their companies comply with their weatherization preparations for the summer and winter seasons. The organization also claims it has increased operational power reserves to make sure generation is available throughout the state and to bring generation online sooner if it is needed for a balance of energy supply and demand. The grid operator is also purchasing more reserve power, especially for uncertain weather days.

ERCOT has assessed the on-site fuel supply for some gas-fired generators and also performed unannounced testing of generation resources to verify the generators have provided accurate information regarding their availability.

“While grid conditions remain strong with enough capacity, our weather forecasts show there is potential for significant frozen precipitation behind this week’s cold front,” Jones stated in the release. “With frozen precipitation there is always a chance for local outages caused by things like ice on wires or fallen tree limbs. These local outages are not related to the amount of available electricity generated and put on the grid. Texans should contact their utility in the event they experience a localized outage.”