Failing Power Plants Leads ERCOT To Call On Texans To Conserve Electricity This Weekend

Screen shot from the ercot.com website.
Screen shot from the ercot.com website.

The operator of most of the Texas electric grid reports six power plants stopped working Friday afternoon.

A BTU spokeswoman tells WTAW News that none of their power plants stopped working.

ERCOT reports all reserve generation resources are operating to keep up with demand.

ERCOT is asking for conservation efforts that includes setting their thermostats to 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. through the weekend.

News release from ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas:

With unseasonably hot weather driving record demand across Texas, ERCOT continues to work closely with the power industry to make sure Texans have the power they need.

This afternoon, six power generation facilities tripped offline resulting in the loss of approximately 2,900 MW of electricity.

At this time, all generation resources available are operating.

We’re asking Texans to conserve power when they can by setting their thermostats to 78-degrees or above and avoiding the usage of large appliances (such as dishwashers, washers and dryers) during peak hours between 3pm and 8pm through the weekend.

Resource Performance (% of installed as of 4pm)

Thermal: 50,703 (66%)
Wind: 5,859 (17%)
Solar: 8,333 (73%)