HOUSTON — ERCOT says, while low, there is the chance Texas could face rolling blackouts this summer.
That's just one of the item to come out of a hearing in the Texas House on Monday, as lawmakers heard about the growing demand on our power grid.
The demand for energy in Texas just gets bigger every year and the weather is doing us no favors, with natural disasters and record-breaking heat.
According to ERCOT's latest report, Texas faces an estimated 12 percent chance of controlled outages in August. The grid operator says this could be on nights when there is low wind-power production in the early evening.
On Monday in Austin, ERCOT, the Public Utility Commission and others involved in Texas energy testified before the Committee on State Affairs. They talked about possible long-range solutions to the power pinch here in Texas.
One of their ideas -- building more nuclear plants.
"The time for new policy and financial investment by state leaders in nuclear is now,” said PUC Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty. “Other states have taken the opportunity. They meet more regularly and they have provided state resources, that they are considered the leaders in this nuclear space."
Right now, Texas has two nuclear plants.
The Public Utilities Commission is exploring the possibility and impact of building several more. That was just one aspect of the discussion on big ticket infrastructure spending to make the grid more reliable.
It’s a long-term solution that still leaves us dealing with the immediate needs of this long hot summer, which technically hasn’t even started yet.
You may remember last summer, ERCOT was forced to ask Texans to conserve energy multiple times.