DALLAS — The extreme Texas heat isn't letting up, prompting the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) to once again ask residents to conserve energy from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday.
This marks the third day in a row where ERCOT has asked Texans to conserve energy.
Texas' demand for energy Saturday was not yet forecasted to exceed the state's supply; this was not the case Thursday, though there were no widespread issues with the grid's operations on either Thursday or Friday.
ERCOT officials said they expect the Texas power grid to have lower operating reserves Saturday afternoon and evening.
"Similar to [Friday], [Saturday]’s conservation appeal does not indicate ERCOT is experiencing emergency conditions at this time. Current forecasts are showing a potential to enter emergency operations this evening because of expected low wind and potential low solar generation and high demand," ERCOT officials said in a news release. "ERCOT will continue to closely monitor conditions throughout the day and will keep the public informed through our communications channels."
ERCOT said if you are experiencing an outage at this time, it is "local in nature and not related to overall grid reliability." ERCOT said to check with your local electric provider for more information.
As part of ERCOT's request to conserve energy, the agency was asking all government agencies, including city and county offices, "to implement all programs to reduce energy use at their facilities."
ERCOT on Thursday asked Texans to conserve energy from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. and again from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday. Before ERCOT's ask to conserve energy Thursday, the agency issued a weather watch this week due to the extreme temperatures across Texas.
ERCOT said the alert was issued due to extreme temperatures, continued high demand and "low wind and potential low solar generation."
The Public Utility Commission of Texas' Power to Save website has tips for reducing electricity use in homes and businesses and other energy saving tips are available at TXANS (ercot.com)
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