Texas Grid Ready for Winter Weather

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has announced that the Texas grid is ready for winter weather operations.

ERCOT revealed Tuesday that it had filed its final winter weatherization readiness report of the season with the Public Utility Commission of Texas. The report was said to show that 321 out of 324 electric generation units and transmission facilities fully passed inspection for new winterization regulations from the commission. 

The company outlined that it had conducted onsite inspections at 302 electric generation units and 22 transmission station facilities during December. Three resources were said to have been identified for further review but remain operational. They represent approximately 0.4 percent of the total ERCOT generation fleet, the company noted.

“The Texas electric grid is more prepared for winter operations than ever before,” Interim ERCOT CEO Brad Jones said in an ERCOT statement.

Woody Rickerson, ERCOT’s vice president of system planning and weatherization, said, “we are confident these 321 inspected facilities either meet or go beyond the new requirements from the commission and we will continue to work with the other three facilities to ensure they correct remaining deficiencies.”

“Our teams spent thousands of hours preparing for and conducting these 324 on-site inspections to ensure the electric grid is prepared for winter,” Rickerson added in the statement.

Last month, ERCOT announced that it had completed on-site inspections of mandatory winterization efforts. In a company statement at the time, ERCOT revealed that it had filed a preliminary summary inspection report with the Public Utility Commission of Texas and highlighted that it would submit its final inspection report on January 18.

In February 2021, ERCOT outlined that it had entered emergency conditions and initiated rotating outages in the face of “extreme winter weather”.

ERCOT manages the flow of electric power to more than 26 million Texas customers, representing about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, ERCOT’s website highlights. ERCOT is a membership-based nonprofit corporation, governed by a board of directors and subject to oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas and the Texas Legislature.

At the time of writing, operating reserves stood at 4,696 megawatts, according to ERCOT’s website, which noted that conditions were “normal” and that there was enough power for current demand.

To contact the author, email andreas.exarheas@rigzone.com